Themed collection International Year of the Periodic Table : Lanthanides for Precision Therapy and Beyond

The most recent progress in high-quality upconversion particle synthesis, rational composite material design, and the combination with plasmonic metals renders upconversion-enhanced NIR photocatalysis increasingly more attractive than ever before.

This review presents the development of photonic memory, with a view towards inspiring more intriguing ideas on the elegant selection of materials and design of novel device structures that may finally induce major progress in the fabrication and application of photonic memory.

Advances in understanding the mechanisms of luminescence in lanthanide-doped upconverting nanoparticles can guide researchers in developing brighter materials. This review discusses the latest developments in the field and suggests routes to improvements.

The latest developments of NIR light-activated upconversion photocatalysts, and the in-depth mechanisms, prospects and remaining challenges with respect to fundamental investigations and solar energy conversion applications are discussed comprehensively.

State-of-the-art progress in strategy design based on the Ln³⁺ luminescence involving dual emission construction for ratiometric luminescence thermometry is reviewed.

The current status of the use of core–shell rare-earth-doped nanoparticles in biomedical applications is reviewed highlighting the most relevant advances.

This review focuses on the biomedical applications of upconversion luminescence nanomaterials, including lanthanide-doped inorganic nanocrystals and TTA-based UCNPs.

A class of intrinsic 2D ferromagnets – layered metalloxenes – is established by coupling graphene-like honeycomb networks of silicene and germanene with 2D lanthanide layers.

Photon avalanche in lanthanide doped nanoparticles shows exceptional properties, potentially suitable for single photoexcitation beam sub-diffraction imaging.

Amplified luminescence of ²⁴⁸Cm³⁺ doped in a NaGdF₄ lattice is achieved through optical pumping of a surface-localized metal chelator, 3,4,3-LI(1,2-HOPO).

In this communication we have unveiled the importance of lanthanide dopant, to realize n-doping of GFETs with an exceptional ambient stability and enhanced mobility. An unconventional mechanism proposed for such phenomenon is well supported by various analytical methods and rationalized by computational calculations.

The exceptional enhancement and reversible manipulation of near-infrared luminescence has been developed in Nd doped ferroelectric nanocomposites using electric fields.

Nanothermometers based on Er³⁺-to-Yb³⁺ and Pr³⁺-to-Yb³⁺ energy transfer show very high performance in the near-infrared region in the cryogenic temperature regime.

Rational control of the multiple emission outputs and achieving single-band and strong luminescence of Ln³⁺ doped upconversion nanoparticles is highly desirable for their applications in sensor and display fields.

Dissolution of upconversion nanoparticles has significant consequences in high dilution conditions, e.g. in microscopy experiments.

A powerful strategy to design the structure, control the particle sizes and fabricate catalytic devices is developed for lanthanide MOFs.

Core@shell structured LiLuF₄:Nd@LiLuF₄ nanoparticles with efficient near-infrared emission were used for in vivo bioimaging under ultralow-power-density excitation (10 mW cm⁻²).

Hyperspectral microscopy of upconverting nanoparticles in polydimethylsiloxane evidence emission heterogeneities, at the submicron scale, induced by agglomeration.

Surface phonons enhancing the one-photon anti-Stokes fluorescence has been demonstrated in rare earth doped nanocrystals.

An innovative energy migration strategy is described for efficient color-control in upconverting nanocrystals through the modification of geometrical parameters only.

Coating with an inert shell is considered an efficient approach for enhancing the emission and improving the luminescence quantum yield of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles.

Thermal quenching of the Eu²⁺ emission in the nitridosilicates has been analysed and related to structure and composition.

A magnetic Fe₃O₄@CePO₄:Tb-EDTA-Eu nanosensor as an erasable and visible platform for the multi-color detection of multiple targets was designed.

A flexible lanthanide upconversion luminescent composite probe demonstrated high sensing performance for heavy metal ions under an electrochemical effect.

Development of actinium-225 doped Gd_0.8Eu_0.2VO₄ core–shell nanoparticles as multifunctional platforms for multimodal molecular imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy.

Combination between electron traps and host phonon energy for Ho³⁺ persistent luminescence in perovskites.

The aggregation-induced emission enhancement of glutathione-capped gold clusters triggered by cerium(III) is well-suited for the detection of adenosine triphosphate-related enzymatic reactions.

A nanocomposite coupled with a photosensitizer (CPZ) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) based on LiYF₄:Yb/Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) was developed for efficient antimicrobial photodynamic therapy.

A colorimetric temperature sensor exploring a wide range of emission colours and a ratiometric temperature sensor utilizing sharp emission lines of Tb^III and Dy^III are achievable with cyanido-bridged TbCo and Tb_0.5Dy_0.5Co heterometallic assemblies.

The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of blue-violet emission for CsPbCl₃ quantum dots (QDs) is still low, which has limited its application in multi-colour displays.

Here, we show an unprecedented approach to luminescent T sensing, which relies on highly temperature dependent nonresonant 1064 nm NIR photoexcitation and a 890 nm anti-Stokes avalanche-like NIR emission from Nd³⁺ doped nanoparticles.

One batch yield as high as 63.38 g of uniform lanthanide-doped NaREF₄ nanoprobes was achieved via a novel solid–liquid-thermal-decomposition strategy.

Herein, we describe for the first time room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and imidazole-based cations with appended carboxylic acids as terminals, which are directly derived from the anhydrides.

Realizing sensitive sub-tissue thermometry with a large signal-to-noise ratio via finely tailoring the local site symmetry in La₂O₃:Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ nanospheres.

Various energy trapping centers are employed to simultaneously suppress concentration quenching and tune luminescence output through efficiently confining the excitation energy in Er³⁺-sensitized upconversion nanoparticles.

Eu/Tb-based luminescent hydrogels and gel-coated discs were used for easy detection of alkaline phosphatase and β-galactosidase.

Homometallic Ln(III)-complexes with sensitized vis-NIR emission and excitation-dependent PL color tuning were achieved from an ILCT ligand.

A family of undecanuclear Fe–Ln clusters, comprising butterfly motifs, was explored and two are found to behave as single molecule magnets.

In vivo luminescent imaging in the second biological window (1000–1400 nm, NIR-II) has attracted increasing attention since it can provide high sensitivity to deep tissue in vivo imaging.

Lanthanide-activated SrF₂ nanoparticles with a multishell architecture were investigated as optical thermometers in the biological windows.

Various methods for deliberate design of electron and hole trapping materials were explored with a study on double lanthanide doped rare earth ortho phosphates.

Upconverting hybrid nanocomposites consisting of gold nanorod cores and decorated with upconverting nanoparticles were prepared for photothermal and photodynamic applications.

Soft X-ray-activated NaYF₄:Gd/Tb nanoprobes with efficient green radioluminescence and good biocompatibility were developed for simultaneous X-ray imaging and X-ray-induced optical bioimaging.

Protecting high-concentration sensitizers in the core benefits upconversion energy transfers.

A method is delineated for the management of nonlinear spectral profile and luminescence lifetime in upconversion nanoparticles by manipulating the energy distributors.