Visible and NIR luminescence of nanostructured lanthanide ions doped Y2O3 particles for applications in biological systems.

Abstract

The aim of this project is to synthesize lanthanide ions doped Y2O3, specifically with Eu3+, Nd3+, and co-doped with Er3+ / Yb3+ and Tm3+ / Yb3+ for application in Biophotonics, as optical markers in biological systems. A systematic study has been carried out aiming at morphological control (with homogeneous dimension and morphology) and structural (crystalline, vibrational and electronic structure) and its correlation with the luminescent properties for application in Photonics. The homogeneous precipitation has been used as the main technique for the synthesis, to obtain spherical particles with uniformly distributed size and morphology. Visible and NIR Luminescence properties will be explored using excitation results in the UV-Vis or near infrared (NIR) region. Particle size control will be extremely important for the different applications. The preparation and structural and spectroscopic characterization of the lanthanide ions doped oxides are the basis of the academic study that will be developed. The possibility of the technological development, for the application of these materials as optical markers, will be explored from the analysis and optimization of the structural, morphological, optical and spectroscopic properties of the systems. The second step of this work is to evaluate the toxicity and cellular viability of the yttrium oxide nanoparticles, as well as to perform their surface coating and functionalization. The nanoparticles will be coated with silica and alumina, aiming at increasing the biocompatibility, increasing the quantum emission efficiency (reducing non-radiative processes by surface hydroxyl groups)ç and they will be also functionalized by several groups (carboxylate, biopolymers such as chitosan, among others) to promote the capacity of selective binding or immobilization of biological macromolecules.