High-Fidelity NIR-II Multiplexed Lifetime Bioimaging with Bright Double Interfaced Lanthanide Nanoparticles

Fluorescence lifetime imaging provides more possibility of in vivo multiplexing in second near infrared (NIR-II) window. However, it still faces the obstacle that fluorescent probes with differentiable lifetime often exhibit quite different fluorescence intensity, especially the short lifetime usually accompanies with a weak fluorescence intensity, resulting in the difficulty for simultaneously decoding multiplexed lifetime information due to the interference of background noise. To facilitate high-fidelity lifetime multiplexed imaging, we developed a series of Er3+ doped double interface fluorescent nanoprobes (Er-DINPs): α-NaYF4 @NaErF4 : Ce@NaYbF4 @NaErF4 : Ce@NaYF4 with strong fluorescence intensity and easily distinguishable fluorescence lifetime. Both in vitro and in vivo experimental results confirmed the advantage of these probes with comparable fluorescence intensity for high-fidelity multiplexed lifetime bioimaging.