Successful synthesis of metal plasmon enhanced lanthanide fluorescent nanocomposite particles

- Used for real-time monitoring of environmental contaminants and bioimaging

Lanthanide-doped nanomaterials have garnered significant attention in the fields of sensing and imaging due to their exceptional properties, characterized by intense, explicit, and long-lasting photoluminescence.  Notably, the research group led by Professor Jaebeom Lee at the Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Chungnam National University has yielded impressive results. Through the collaborative efforts of PhD students My-Chi Nguyen and Huu-Quang Nguyen, they have successfully integrated europium complex into core-shell magnetoplasmonic nanoparticles, resulting in a photoluminescent nanostructure boasting remarkable characteristics.

The synthesized europium-doped nanoparticles, with a silver core and core-shell structure, demonstrated an enhancement in both photoluminescence intensity and lifetime when compared to their non-plasmonic counterparts. This enhancement can be attributed to the metal plasmon-induced fluorescence, which has been demonstrated to be highly effective in boosting the luminescence properties of the nanomaterials.

The versatility of this innovative fluorescent magnetoplasmonic structure extends beyond its photoluminescent capabilities. The quenching phenomenon of the europium-doped nanoparticles was ingeniously harnessed as a platform for quantifying the concentration of metal ions, specifically copper (II) ions, while remaining minimally affected by other common cations and anions. This feature highlights the potential of this nanomaterial as a waste-free and fully recoverable testing assay for on-site environmental analysis and water quality control.

This research was supported by Chungnam National University (2020-2021) and published in Materials Today Nano (impact factor: 10.3, one of the leading journals in the field of Materials Science, Multidisciplinary). The published title is "Metal Plasmon-Enhanced Lanthanide Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Real-Time Monitoring of Aqueous Copper Ions”.