The uses of x-rays coupled with nanoscintillators have recently attracted researchers in biomedical theranostic for its deep tissue penetration and optical energy generation. Scintillators are a class of materials that can convert high excitation energies into light. The ideal scintillators for biomedical applications have high density, high light output, and discrete emission characteristics. This makes silicate based materials (e.g. Lu2SiO5:Ce, Y2Si2O7:Ce) an ideal candidate however, these materials can only be synthesized at temperatures when sub-100 nm particulates begin to sinter (&gt;1000oC). Two types of monodisperse scintillating colloids were synthesized at &gt;1000oC using a high temperature multi-composite reactor (HTMcR). A particle with a core-bishell architecture was designed with a SiO2 core and a Re2O3 (Re = Y3+ or Lu3+) shell by sol-gel and precipitation techniques, followed by polymerization of poly(divinylbenzene) encapsulating the inorganic nanoparticulate. At &gt;1000oC the inorganic species recrystallized to Re2Si2O7 while the organic specie carbonized to amorphous carbon and prevented particle aggregation. The HTMcR has the potential to open new opportunities in nanotechnology that will be demonstrated in this presentation. First, the structure-luminescent properties of the sub-100 nm particulates were explored. A series of mono-, co-, and tri- doped systems (Ce3+, Tb3+, and Eu3+) were then incorporated into the sub-100 nm particulate to enhance its x-ray luminescence using Forester resonance energy transfers. Lastly, these nanoscintillators were surface functionalized with bovine serum albumin and rose bengal using click chemistry. The scintillators explored here have the potential to be applied in novel theranostic techniques such as x-ray optogenetics and x-ray induced photodynamic therapy.

Synthesis of novel hybrid inorganic/organic nanoscintillators for biomedical application

ACS Fall 2021

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