Luminescence of Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ nanophosphors in blood and organic media

Lanthanide-doped nanoparticles characterized by their large Stokes' shifts, narrow emission bands, long lifetimes and high photostability are promising candidates for luminescent labels in biological research. That is why investigation of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles' fluorescence in complex biological media (like blood and Intralipid) is of great importance from the standpoint of applicability in medicine and biology. Nanopowder of yttrium aluminum garnet doped with Eu3+ was synthesized by the Pechini method. X-ray diffraction data demonstrated formation of cubic crystalline phase without any impurities. The synthesized sample was found to be well-defined 20–50 nm nanoparticles agglomerated to clusters no bigger than 200 nm in diameter. The emission spectrum of nanocrystalline powder consists of characteristic narrow lines attributed to 5D0–7FJ transitions. It was found that the long lifetime of 5D0 level (4.13 ms) allows using time-resolved techniques to eliminate fluorescence of the biological background. The possibility of the luminescence signal detection of Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ nanopowder (0.14 mg per 1 ml) against the background of blood auto-luminescence was demonstrated. Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ phosphors luminescence in blood media showed timing stability whereas fluorescein luminescence dropped down by a factor of 3 after 20 min. It was found that the luminescence signal of Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ phosphors could be detected through 5 mm of biological tissue. The possibility of independent registration of nanopowders doped with different REI-ions (Eu3+ and Nd3+) was investigated.