Bio-functionalization of ligand-free upconverting lanthanide doped nanoparticles for bio-imaging and cell targeting

摘要

We report on the functionalization of ligand-free NaGdF4:Er~(3+), Yb~(3+) upconverting nanoparticles with heparin and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). These upconverting nanoparticles are used to obtain high-contrast images of HeLa cells. These images reveal that the heparin-bFGF functionalized nanoparticles show specific binding to the cell membrane.