Lanthanide-Based Opto-Magnetic Nanoprobes – from
Synthesis to Potential Applications
by
Eva Hemmer
Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa (ON) Canada
Based on their outstanding optical properties, lanthanide-based com-pounds have been suggested for a wide range of applications including the fields of biomedicine, optoelectronics, and solar energy conversion. For instance, the capability of lanthanide-based materials to emit visible and near-infrared (NIR) light under NIR excitation is highly sought after when aiming for biomedical applications. This is as NIR light penetrates deeper into biological tissue and is less phototoxic than UV light com-monly used for optical bioprobes. Our favourite nanomaterials are lan-thanide-based fluorides (MLnF4, M = alkali metal, Ln = lanthanides and Yttrium), and our research addresses challenges in their synthesis as well as the establishment of structure-property relationships. The grow-ing attention toward such optically active materials has prompted the de-velopment of novel synthesis methods for a more reliable and efficient access to these systems. In this regard, microwave-assisted approaches provide unique advantages over traditional solvothermal methods reliant on convectional heating: namely, significantly shorter reaction durations, more rigid reaction conditions, and thus a higher degree of reproducibil-ity. The developed approach allows to control the material’s crystalline phase and doping of various Ln3+ ions into core/shell architectures. The resultant nanomaterials exhibit upconversion and near-infrared emission, which makes them excellent candi-dates for optical applications, while they are promising nanoparticle-based medical magnetic resonance imag-ing contrast agents due to their magnetic properties. This presentation will shed light on current trends and chal-lenges in the field of Ln-based nanostructures, their synthesis, structural and opto-magnetic properties.
It is our pleasure to invite you to join the ISGS eSeminar for November 2022, which will be delivered by Professor Eva Hemmer on Wednesday 9 November. Please click here to learn more about her many achievements and interesting career journey, including her contributions to both the professional and social fabric of our sol-gel and materials science community.
Date: Wednesday 9 November 2022
Format:
- ZOOM (eSeminar link), Meeting ID: 307 291 6432 Passcode: 5r8DJ*34
Time:
- 09:00 – Ottawa, USA, East Coast
- 11:00 – Brazil (São Paulo) and Argentina
- 14:00 – UTC
- 14:00 – UK, Portugal
- 15:00 – Germany, Central Europe, Sweden, Norway
- 16:00 – Romania, Israel, Eastern Europe, Ukraine
- 17:00 – Russia (Moscow, St Petersburg)
- 22:00 – China, Singapore, Malaysia
- 23:00 – Japan, Korea
- 00:00 (+1day) – Australia (East Coast)
