Laboratory of Photochemistry, Imaging and Photonics

PHOTOCHEMISTRY, IMAGING AND PHOTONICS

MEMBERS

ACHIEVMENTS

Recently, the multifunctional nanocomposite, Fe₃O₄/Au/Eu(TTA)₃ (FOASET NC), was synthesized by a simple modified Stober method. The FOASET nanoparticles exhibit a small size of 60–70 nm, good dispersion, and a broad absorption band induced by the SPR of Au nanoparticles. Their strong red luminescence was able to be excited by UV light at λexc = 355 nm and VIS light at λ_exc = 532 nm. The FOASET nanoparticles functionalized with amine-NH2 were successfully used for the in vitro fluorescence image to identify the HT29 colorectal cancer cells. In addition, the FOASET nanoparticles demonstrated a dual synergistic magnetic and photothermal heating generation, leading to an improved heating efficiency for hyperthermia therapy. The multifunctional FOASET NC provided a promising candidate for targeted hyperthermia therapy and biomedical applications [1].

The β-NaYF₄:Er,Yb@NaYF4 CSNP were successfully synthesized by soft template method. The results obtained shown that the synthesized β-NaYF₄:Er,Yb@NaYF₄ CSNP were about 100 ± 10 nm in size, therefore, they were nearly 2.5 times bigger than the β-NaYF₄:Er,Yb CNP. The temperature dependent UC emission spectra of β-NaYF₄:2%Er,19%Yb@NaYF₄ CSNPs under the 976 nm laser diode excitation of power density of 4.29 W/cm² have been investigated to evaluate their suitability for temperature sensing applications. Basing on the LIR values of emission bands of two thermally coupled excited states of Er³⁺ ions, the energy gap between ²H_11/2 and ⁴S_3/2 levels and associated constant of  NaYF₄@NaYF₄ host lattice were determined and they were equal to ~ 813 cm⁻¹ and 14.27 (r² = 0.998), respectively. The relative thermal sensitivity of β-NaYF₄:2%Er,19%Yb@NaYF₄ CSNPs determined on the basis of the LIR achieved unusually high value of SR = 4.25% K−1 at 158 K and was decreasing with increasing temperature, however, maintaining value > 1% K−1 in the whole analyzed temperature range, up to 298 K. These outcomes confirmed that NaYF₄:2%Er,19%Yb@NaYF₄ CSNPs reveal very high potential for temperature sensing applications [7].

Fig. 1. (A) Photo images of FOASET NC, (a) at ambient temperature, (b) under the influence of a magnet, and (c) under the influence of magnet and light excitation.

(B) Luninescent spectra of (a) FOASET nanoparticles and (b) Eu(TTA)3 complex under excitation at λ_exc = 355 nm.

(C) FLuorescent image of the HT29 colorectal cells without FOASET-IgG nanoparticles (a) in BF and (b) in DF, and with FOAET-IgG nanoparticles (c) in BF and (d) in DF.

(D) Heating curves of the FOASET nanoparticles with (a) MT, (b) PT, and (c) MPT modes.

Fig. 2. Normalized UC emission spectra of synthesized β-NaYF₄:2%Er,19%Yb@NaYF₄ CSNP upon 976 nm laser diode excitation measured at temperatures ranging from 158 to 320 K with step of 20 K (a), the fluorescence intensity ratio (IH/IS) of green emission as a function of temperature where the experimental data is marked as points and the line corresponds to the fitting data (b), the absolute (gray line and stars) and relative (dark blue line and spherical points) sensitivity as a function of temperature (c) [9].

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

1. Thi Lien Pham, Cong Quang Tong, Ngoc Phan Vu, Thi Hong Ha Vu, Thi Anh Ho, Duc Thang Pham, Thi Hoi Le, Manh Tien Dinh, Thanh Huong Nguyen, Thi Khuyen Hoang, Thi Kieu Giang Lam, Vu Nguyen, Hong Nam Pham and Tien Ha Le, Effect of Eu³⁺ ion concentration on optical and magnetic properties of oriented Gd₂O₃/CTAB nanoparticles as multifunctional optical-magnetic probes in biomedicine, RSC Advances., 2025, 15, 9521.
2. Nguyen Thanh Huong, Do Khanh Tung, Vu Hong Ky, Pham Hong Nam, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Anh, Synthesis of nano-selenium and its effects on germination and early seedling growth of four crop plants, AIP Advances 14, 025046 (2024).
3. Nguyen Vu, Ngo Khac Khong Minh, Thai Thi Dieu Hien, Pham Duc Roan, Lam Thi Kieu Giang, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Hoang Thi Khuyen, Pham Thi Lien, Dinh Manh Tien, Nguyen Trung Kien and Dao Ngoc Nhiem, Structure, morphology, optical properties, and Judd–Ofelt analysis of YP_(1−x)V_xO₄:Eu³⁺ materials synthesized by the combustion method, Nanoscale Advances, 2025. DOI: 10.1039/d4na01052c.
4. Lam Thi Kieu Giang, Wojciech M. Piotrowski, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Hoang Thi Khuyen, Pham Thi Lien, Dinh Manh Tien, Nguyen Vu, Nguyen Hai Yen, Pham Thanh Binh, Vu Duc Chinh, Łukasz Marciniak, Temperature sensing and magnetic properties of the Fe₃O₄@ZrOBDC:Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ MMOF, Optical Materials 157 (2024) 116050.
5. Lam Thi Kieu Giang, Wojciech M. Piotrowski, Agnieszka Opalińska, Ngo Thi Hong Le, Nguyen Hai Yen, Pham Hoai Linh, Lukasz Marciniak Synthesis of the multifunctional Cubic-Gd₂O₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ nanothermometers from the nanoscaled Metal–Organic framework of Gd-BTC:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺, Optical Materials 149 (2024), pp. 115149,
6. Hoang Thi Khuyen, Tran Thu Huong, Nguyen Duc Van, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Nguyen Vu, Pham Thi Lien, Pham Hong Nam and Vu Xuan Nghia, Synthesis of Multifunctional Eu(III) Complex Doped Fe₃O₄/Au Nanocomposite for Dual Photo-Magnetic Hyperthermia and Fluorescence Bioimaging, Molecules (2023) 28, 749.
7. Pham Thi Lien, Ngo Khac Khong Minh, Dang Van Thai, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Nguyen Vu, Hoang Thi Khuyen, Tran Thu Huong, Dinh Manh Tien, Nguyen Duc Van, Le Quoc Minh. Synthesis, characterization and judd–ofelt analysis of transparent photo luminence (H‑Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺) in hollow nanospheres, Optical and Quantum Electronics (2023) 55:174.
8. Lam Thi Kieu Giang, Karolina Trejgis, Łukasz Marciniak, Agnieszka Opalinska, Iwona E. Koltsov and Witold Łojkowski, Synthesis and characterizations of YZBDC:Eu³⁺,Tb³⁺ nanothermometers for luminescence-based temperature sensing, RSC Adv. (2022) 12, 13065–13073.
9. Lam Thi Kieu Giang, Trejgis Karolina, Lukasz Marciniak, Nguyen Vu,  Le Quoc Minh, Fabrication and characterization of up-converting β-NaYF:Er,Yb@NaYF core-shell nanoparticles for temperature sensing applications,  Scientific Reports (2020) Vol. 10, 14672.
10. Hoang Thi Khuyen, Tran Thu Huong, Nguyen Thanh Huong, Vu Thi Thai Ha , Nguyen Duc Van, Vu Xuan Nghia, Tran Kim Anh, Le Quoc Minh, Luminescence properties of a nanotheranostics based on a multifunctional Fe₃O₄ /Au/Eu[1-(2- naphthoyl)-3,3,3-trifluoroacetone]3 nanocomposite, Optical Materials (2020) Vol. 109, pp. 110229.
11. Ngo K. K. Minh, Tran B. Luan, Lam T. K. Giang, Nguyen T. Thanh Tran T. K. Chi, Dariusz Hreniak, Ngo Q. Luan and Nguyen Vu, Preparation and optical properties of La₃PO₇:Eu³⁺ nanophosphors synthesized by combustion method, Materials Transactions (2020) Vol. 61, No. 8 pp. 1564 to 1568.

FACILITIES

• Equipment for photochemical reactions using ultraviolet 500W Hg-Xe lamp.
• Drying ovenVENTICELL 111, digital control, maximum temperature 250^oC.
• Dipcoating system controled by computer.for thin films fabrication
• Viscosity Meter CT-500 Canon high-precision, stable and repeatable.
• Furnace Eurotherm 2416 (CARBOLITE), 5.5 kW, maximum 1500^oC.
• Six-dimensional high precision positioning stage of KOHZU (3D-motion, 3D-rotation).
• Alpha-Step IQ Profiler from Klatencor Company.
• System for refractive index, optical waveguide loss characterization: 2010 Prism Coupler (METRICON).
• Microwave synthesis Equipment MAS-II.