Lanthanide-Based Nanosensors: Refining Nanoparticle Responsiveness for Single Particle Imaging of Stimuli

• DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.0c00894
• Publication Date: 2020-10-16T18:30:12Z
• Authors: Jason R. Casar; Claire A. McLellan; Chris Siefe; Jennifer A. Dionne
• Keywords: Nanosensor; Temporal resolution

Lanthanide nanoparticles (LNPs) are promising sensors of chemical, mechanical, and temperature changes; they combine the narrow-spectral emission long-lived excited states individual lanthanide ions with high spatial resolution controlled energy transfer nanocrystalline architectures. Despite considerable progress in optimizing LNP brightness responsiveness for dynamic sensing, detection stimuli a approaching that remains an outstanding challenge. Here, we highlight existing capabilities challenges sensors, en-route to nanometer-scale, single particle sensor resolution. First, summarize read-outs, including changes wavelength, lifetime, intensity, spectral ratiometric values arise from modified networks within nanoparticles. Then, describe origins imprecision, sensitivity competing conditions, interparticle heterogeneities, such as concentration distribution dopant ions, measurement noise. Motivated by these sources signal variance, synthesis characterization feedback loops inform improve precision, introduce noise-equivalent figure merit sensors. Finally, project magnitudes chemical pressure stimulus achievable LNPs at nanoscale Our perspective provides roadmap translating ensemble sensing level, enabling nanometer-scale biology, medicine, sustainability.