808 nm driven Nd³⁺-sensitized upconversion nanostructures for photodynamic therapy and simultaneous fluorescence imaging

The in vivo biological applications of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) prefer excitation at 700-850 nm, instead of 980 nm, due to the absorption of water. Recent approaches in constructing robust Nd3+ doped UCNPs with 808 nm excitation properties rely on a thick Nd3+ sensitized shell. However, for the very important and popular Frster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based applications, such as photodynamic therapy (PDT) or switchable biosensors, this type of structure has restrictions resulting in a poor energy transfer. In this work, we have designed a NaYF4:Yb/Ho@NaYF4:Nd@NaYF4 core-shell-shell nanostructure. We have proven that this optimal structure balances the robustness of the upconversion emission and the FRET efficiency for FRET-based bioapplications. A proof of the concept was demonstrated for photodynamic therapy and simultaneous fluorescence imaging of HeLa cells triggered by 808 nm light, where low heating and a high PDT efficacy were achieved.