Biological window excited up-conversion persistent luminescence nanoparticles for bioimaging and photodynamic therapy

Near-infrared (NIR) persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) have inherent advantages for high-sensitivity bioimaging due to the separation of excitation and emission light. However, the single-wavelength emission of NIR PLNPs for bioimaging limits their use in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Herein, a biological window excited up-conversion (UC) PLNPs, Zn₃Ga₂SnO₈:Cr³⁺,Yb³⁺,Ho³⁺ (ZGS), was reported for bioimaging and PDT. ZGS exhibits NIR persistent luminescence (PersL) after red LED excitation and visible UCL under 980 nm excitation. The NIR PersL is designed for in vivo bioimaging; the visible UCL is used to activate photosensitizer (PS) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) for PDT. The dual-functional ZGS with UCL and PersL provides an effective method for bioimaging and PDT, which is expected to further promote the application of PLNPs in the integration of efficient diagnosis and treatment.