Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments

Dongkyu Kang; Suyeon Kim; Yeongchang Goh; Minseo Kim; Sun-Hak Lee; Jung-Hoon Kwon; Sang Hwan Nam; Joonseok Lee

doi:10.1038/s41377-025-01882-2

Your Location：

Home >

Browse articles >

Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments

Original Articles

- Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments
- Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments
- LSA 2025年14卷第9期页码：2463-2475
- Affiliations：
  
  1.Department of Chemistry, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
  2.Laboratory of Nanoscopic Imaging & Spectroscopy Analysis, Chemical Analysis Center, Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, Daejeon 34114, Republic of Korea
  3.Avian Disease Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, 120 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul 143-701, Republic of Korea
  4.Laboratory of Veterinary Microbiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 80 Daehak-ro, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
  5.Research Institute for Convergence of Basic Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Republic of Korea
- Author bio：
  
  Sang Hwan Nam (shnam@krict.re.kr)
  Joonseok Lee (joonseoklee@hanyang.ac.kr)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-025-01882-2
  中图分类号：
- 收稿日期：2024-12-20，
  
  修回日期：2025-04-20，
  
  录用日期：2025-05-01，
  
  网络出版日期：2025-07-03，
  
  纸质出版日期：2025-09-30
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments[J]. LSA, 2025,14(9):2463-2475.

Kang, D. et al. Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 2463-2475 (2025).
Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments[J]. LSA, 2025,14(9):2463-2475. DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-01882-2.

Kang, D. et al. Water-insensitive NIR-Ⅰ-to-NIR-Ⅰ down-shifting nanoparticles enable stable biomarker detection at low power thresholds in opaque aqueous environments. Light: Science & Applications, 14, 2463-2475 (2025). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-025-01882-2.

摘要

Abstract

Luminescence quenching in aqueous environments poses a challenge for practical applications. Lanthanide-doped up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs)

representative of near-infrared (NIR)-emitting phosphors

typically utilize Yb

ions as sensitizers

requiring 980 nm light. This wavelength coincides with the transitions of water molecules

interfering with population dynamics

and continuous irradiation causes unintended heating. Although Nd

ions

which absorb at 800 nm

serve as alternative sensitizers

their practical use is limited by low quantum yield (Q.Y.). In this study

we developed water-insensitive down-shifting nanoparticles (WINPs) functioning within the NIR-Ⅰ range (700–900 nm) to avoid water interference. Characterization through single-particle-level spectroscopy demonstrated water-insensitive properties

with identical powers density and lifetime profiles under both dry and water conditions. The WINPs achieved a high Q.Y. of 22.1 ± 0.9%

allowing operation at a detection limit power 15-fold lower than UCNPs

effectively eliminating background noise and enhancing overall performance. To assess diagnostic potential

we validated WINP-based lateral flow immunoassay (LFA) for detecting avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in 65 opaque clinical samples

achieving 100% sensitivity and an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.000 at only 100 mW cm

−2

. These findings highlight the potential of WINPs as water-insensitive NIR phosphors that can operate at low power

even in water-rich environments.

关键词

Keywords

references

Lamon, S. et al. Lanthanide ion-doped upconversion nanoparticles for low-energy super-resolution applications. Light Sci. Appl. 13 , 252 (2024)..

Li, H. H., Wang, Y. K. & Liao, L. S. Near-Infrared luminescent materials incorporating rare earth/transition metal ions: from materials to applications. Adv. Mater. 36 , 2403076 (2024)..

Fan, Y. et al. Lifetime-engineered NIR-Ⅱ nanoparticles unlock multiplexed in vivo imaging. Nat. Nanotechnol. 13 , 941–946 (2018)..

Pei, P. et al. X-ray-activated persistent luminescence nanomaterials for NIR-Ⅱ imaging. Nat. Nanotechnol. 16 , 1011–1018 (2021)..

Liu, C. et al. Emerging advances in lanthanide photon avalanche nanophotonics. Nano Lett. 24 , 15489–15500 (2024)..

Wang, T. et al. A hybrid erbium(Ⅲ)–bacteriochlorin near-infrared probe for multiplexed biomedical imaging. Nat. Mater. 20 , 1571–1578 (2021)..

Chen, Y., Wang, S. F. & Zhang, F. Near-infrared luminescence high-contrast in vivo biomedical imaging. Nat. Rev. Bioeng. 1 , 60–78 (2023)..

Hong, G. S., Antaris, A. L. & Dai, H. J. Near-infrared fluorophores for biomedical imaging. Nat. Biomed. Eng. 1 , 0010 (2017)..

Yang, Y. W. et al. Fluorescence-amplified nanocrystals in the second near-infrared window for in vivo real-time dynamic multiplexed imaging. Nat. Nanotechnol. 18 , 1195–1204 (2023)..

Lee, C. et al. Giant nonlinear optical responses from photon-avalanching nanoparticles. Nature 589 , 230–235 (2021)..

Lee, C. et al. Indefinite and bidirectional near-infrared nanocrystal photoswitching. Nature 618 , 951–958 (2023)..

Liang, L. L. et al. Energy flux manipulation in upconversion nanosystems. Acc. Chem. Res. 52 , 228–236 (2019)..

Du, P. Y. et al. Near-infrared-responsiverare earth nanoparticles for optical imaging and wireless phototherapy. Adv. Sci. 11 , 2305308 (2024)..

Li, H. et al. Lanthanide-doped near-infrared nanoparticles for biophotonics. Adv. Mater. 33 , 2000678 (2021)..

Du, K. M. et al. Nanocomposites based on lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles: diverse designs and applications. Light Sci. Appl. 11 , 222 (2022). volume ..

Kang, D. et al. A local water molecular-heating strategy for near-infrared long-lifetime imaging-guided photothermal therapy of glioblastoma. Nat. Commun. 14 , 2755 (2023)..

Wu, Y. K. et al. Lanthanide luminescence nanothermometer with working wavelength beyond 1500 nm for cerebrovascular temperature imaging in vivo. Nat. Commun. 15 , 2341 (2024)..

Ming, J. et al. High-brightness transition metal-sensitized lanthanide near-infrared luminescent nanoparticles. Nat. Photonics 18 , 1254–1262 (2024)..

Dibaba, S. T. et al. Recent progress of energy transfer and luminescence intensity boosting mechanism in Nd 3+ -sensitized upconversion nanoparticles. J. Rare Earths 37 , 791–805 (2019)..

Nazir, J. et al. Persistence of avian influenza viruses in lake sediment, duck feces, and duck meat. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 77 , 4981–4985 (2011)..

Park, S. et al. Detection of avian influenza virus from cloacal swabs using a disposable well gate FET sensor. Adv. Healthc. Mater. 6 , 1700371 (2017)..

Callison, S. A. et al. Development and evaluation of a real-time Taqman RT-PCR assay for the detection of infectious bronchitis virus from infected chickens. J. Virol. Methods 138 , 60–65 (2006)..

Liu, Q. et al. Upconversion luminescence imaging of cells and small animals. Nat. Protoc. 8 , 2033–2044 (2013)..

Würth, C. et al. Quantum yields, surface quenching, and passivation efficiency for ultrasmall core/shell upconverting nanoparticles. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 140 , 4922–4928 (2018)..

Li, F. et al. Size-dependent lanthanide energy transfer amplifies upconversion luminescence quantum yields. Nat. Photonics 18 , 440–449 (2024)..

Liang, L. L. et al. Continuous-wave near-infrared stimulated-emission depletion microscopy using downshifting lanthanide nanoparticles. Nat. Nanotechnol. 16 , 975–980 (2021)..

Loh, K. Y. et al. Sharp-peaked lanthanide nanocrystals for near-infrared photoacoustic multiplexed differential imaging. Commun. Mater. 5 , 164 (2024)..

Kang, D. et al. Self-referenced dual-near-infrared emission-based sensor platform for the ultrasensitive discrimination of D 2 O and H 2 O. Sens. Actuators B Chem. 401 , 134948 (2024)..

Skripka, A. et al. Inert shell effect on the quantum yield of neodymium-doped near-infrared nanoparticles: the necessary shield in an aqueous dispersion. Nano Lett. 20 , 7648–7654 (2020)..

Huang, J. S. et al. Cross relaxation enables spatiotemporal color-switchable upconversion in a single sandwich nanoparticle for information security. Adv. Mater. 36 , 2310524 (2024)..

Stroud, J. S. Concentration quenching of Nd 3+ fluorescence. Appl. Opt. 7 , 751–757 (1968)..

Carneiro et al. Theoretical and experimental investigation of the Tb 3+ → Eu 3+ energy transfer mechanisms in cubic A 3 Tb 0.90 Eu 0.10 (PO 4 ) 3 (A = Sr, Ba) materials. J. Phys. Chem. C 124 , 10105–10116 (2020)..

Sontakke, A. D. et al. Unraveling the Eu 2+ → Mn 2+ energy transfer mechanism in w-LED phosphors. J. Phys. Chem. C 124 , 13902–13911 (2020)..

Blasse, G. Energy transfer in oxidic phosphors. Phys. Lett. A 28 , 444–445 (1968)..

Huang, K. et al. Room-temperature upconverted super fluorescence. Nat. Photonics 16 , 737–742 (2022)..

Baride, A. et al. A NIR-to-NIR upconversion luminescence system for security printing applications. RSC Adv. 5 , 101338–101346 (2015)..

Kang, D. et al. An efficient NIR-to-NIR signal-based LRET system for homogeneous competitive immunoassay. Biosens. Bioelectron. 150 , 111921 (2020)..

Li, X. J. et al. Enhanced corrosion and wear resistance via dopamine-functionalized Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene/waterborne polyurethane coating on magnesium alloy. Mater. Today Chem. 39 , 102142 (2024)..

Hlaváček, A. et al. Bioconjugates of photon-upconversion nanoparticles for cancer biomarker detection and imaging. Nat. Protoc. 17 , 1028–1072 (2022)..

Stujenske, J., Spellman, T. & Gordon, J. Modeling the spatiotemporal dynamics of light and heat propagation for in vivo optogenetics. Cell Rep. 12 , 525–534 (2015)..

Liu, X. L. et al. Fast wide-field upconversion luminescence lifetime thermometry enabled by single-shot compressed ultrahigh-speed imaging. Nat. Commun. 12 , 6401 (2021)..

Yu, D. C., Ballato, J. & Riman, R. E. Temperature-dependence of multiphonon relaxation of rare-earth ions in solid-state hosts. J. Phys. Chem. C 120 , 9958–9964 (2016)..

Dang, P. P. et al. How to obtain anti-thermal-quenching inorganic luminescent materials for light-emitting diode applications. Adv. Opt. Mater. 10 , 2102287 (2022)..

Wang, Y. Z., Chen, B. & Wang, F. Overcoming thermal quenching in upconversion nanoparticles. Nanoscale 13 , 3454–3462 (2021)..

Kim, J. Y. et al. Detection of intercontinental reassortant H6 avian influenza viruses from wild birds in South Korea, 2015 and 2017. Front. Vet. Sci. 10 , 1157984 (2023)..

Pinotti, F. et al. Modelling the transmission dynamics of H9N2 avian influenza viruses in a live bird market. Nat. Commun. 15 , 3494 (2024)..

Caserta, L. C. et al. Spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus to dairy cattle. Nature 634 , 669–676 (2024)..

Shi, W. F. & Gao, G. F. Emerging H5N8 avian influenza viruses. Science 372 , 784–786 (2021)..

Neumann, G. & Kawaoka, Y. Highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus outbreak in cattle: the knowns and unknowns. Nat. Rev. Microbiol. 22 , 525–526 (2024)..

Kang, D. et al. An NIR dual-emitting/absorbing inorganic compact pair: a self-calibrating LRET system for homogeneous virus detection. Biosens. Bioelectron. 190 , 113369 (2021)..

Kim, J. et al. Rapid and background-free detection of avian influenza virus in opaque sample using NIR-to-NIR upconversion nanoparticle-based lateral flow immunoassay platform. Biosens. Bioelectron. 112 , 209–215 (2018)..

Jung, H. et al. A size-selectively biomolecule-immobilized nanoprobe-based chemiluminescentlateral flow immunoassay for detection of avian-origin viruses. Anal. Chem. 93 , 792–800 (2021)..

Song, Z. R. et al. Enhanced NIR-Ⅱ fluorescent lateral flow biosensing platform based on supramolecular host-guest self-assembly for point-of-care testing of tumor biomarkers. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 15 , 52038–52050 (2023)..

Liu, S. J. et al. Evaluation of the multidimensional enhanced lateral flow immunoassay in point-of-care nanosensors. ACS Nano 18 , 27167–27205 (2024)..

Miyoshi-Akiyama, T. et al. Discrimination of influenza A subtype by antibodies recognizing host-specific amino acids in the viral nucleoprotein. Influenza Other Respir. Viruses 6 , 434–441 (2012)..

Kariithi, H. M. et al. Genetic characterization and pathogenesis of the first H9N2 low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from chickens in Kenyan live bird markets. Infect. Genet. Evol. 78 , 104074 (2020)..

Pusch, E. A. & Suarez, D. L. The multifaceted zoonotic risk of H9N2 avian influenza. Vet. Sci. 5 , 82 (2018)..

Kim, S. et al. On-site remote monitoring system with NIR signal-based detection of infectious disease virus in opaque salivary samples. ACS Sens. 8 , 1299–1307 (2023)..

Kim, J. et al. Universal emission characteristics of upconverting nanoparticles revealed by single-particle spectroscopy. ACS Nano 17 , 648–656 (2023)..

Kim, K. et al. Metallic woodpile nanostructures for femtomolar sensing of Alzheimer's neurofilament lights. ACS Nano 14 , 10376–10384 (2020)..

Song, Y. J. et al. Oxygen-enriching triphase platform for reliable sensing of femtomolar Alzheimer's neurofilament lights. Biosens. Bioelectron. 260 , 116431 (2024)..

浏览量

Downloads

CSCD

文章被引用时，请邮件提醒。

Submit

工具集

关联资源

暂无数据