Synthesis and characterization of Lu2O3:Eu3+@SiO2-pABA hybrid nanoparticles: Enhanced luminescence and biocompatibility

IF 4.3 3区材料科学 Q2 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Optical Materials Pub Date : 2026-06-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-13 DOI:10.1016/j.optmat.2026.117956

María Luz Carrera-Jota , Ana Leticia Arregui Mena , Carlos Felipe Hernández-Fuentes , Pedro Adrián Martínez-Montoya , Fernando Juarez-López , Ángel de Jesús Morales-Ramírez

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Abstract

This study presents the synthesis and comprehensive characterization of novel hybrid nanomaterials based on europium-doped lutetium oxide (Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺) embedded within a silica matrix (SiO₂) and covalently functionalized with 4-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) via sol-gel and reflux processes. Structural, morphological, and thermal analyses—performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA)—confirmed the successful formation of highly stable hybrid systems. Photoluminescence studies revealed a marked enhancement in emission intensity, attributed to efficient energy transfer from the organic ligand to Eu³⁺ ions and improved stabilization provided by the pABA covalent bonding. The optimized Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺@SiO₂-pABA hybrids exhibited strong visible emission under UV excitation and superior luminescence efficiency compared to unfunctionalized systems. Cytotoxicity assays using MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, underscoring the potential of these nanomaterials for biomedical applications such as bioimaging and optical diagnostics. Overall, these findings highlight the effectiveness of pABA functionalization in producing thermally stable, highly luminescent, and biocompatible hybrid nanostructures, expanding their applicability in advanced materials engineering and biotechnological devices.

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Lu2O3:Eu3+@SiO2-pABA杂化纳米颗粒的合成与表征：增强发光和生物相容性

本研究提出了一种新型杂化纳米材料的合成和综合表征，该材料基于铕掺杂氧化镥（Lu2O3:Eu3+）嵌入二氧化硅基体（SiO2），并通过溶胶-凝胶和回流过程与4-氨基苯甲酸（pABA）共价官能化。利用傅里叶变换红外光谱（FTIR）、x射线衍射（XRD）、扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和热重分析（TGA）进行的结构、形态和热分析证实了高度稳定的混合体系的成功形成。光致发光研究表明，由于有机配体向Eu3+离子的有效能量转移以及pABA共价键提供的稳定性改善，发射强度显着增强。优化后的Lu2O3:Eu3+@SiO2-pABA杂化体系在紫外激发下具有较强的可见光发射，发光效率优于未功能化体系。使用MDA-MB-231乳腺癌细胞进行的细胞毒性试验显示出出色的生物相容性，强调了这些纳米材料在生物成像和光学诊断等生物医学应用方面的潜力。总的来说，这些发现突出了pABA功能化在制备热稳定、高发光和生物相容性的杂化纳米结构方面的有效性，扩大了它们在先进材料工程和生物技术器件中的适用性。

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来源期刊

Optical Materials 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

6.60

自引率

12.80%

发文量

1265

审稿时长

38 days

期刊介绍： Optical Materials has an open access mirror journal Optical Materials: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review. The purpose of Optical Materials is to provide a means of communication and technology transfer between researchers who are interested in materials for potential device applications. The journal publishes original papers and review articles on the design, synthesis, characterisation and applications of optical materials. OPTICAL MATERIALS focuses on: • Optical Properties of Material Systems; • The Materials Aspects of Optical Phenomena; • The Materials Aspects of Devices and Applications. Authors can submit separate research elements describing their data to Data in Brief and methods to Methods X.