Neodymium-Sensitized Nanoconstructs for Near-Infrared Enabled Photomedicine

Neodymium (Nd3+)-sensitized nanoconstructs have gained increasing attention in recent decades due to their unique properties, especially optical properties. The design of various Nd3+-sensitized nanosystems is expected to contribute to medical and health applications, due to their advantageous properties such as high penetration depth, excellent photostability, non-photobleaching, low cytotoxicity, etc. However, the low conversion efficiency and potential long-term toxicity of Nd3+-sensitized nanoconstructs are huge obstacles to their clinical translations. This review article summarizes three energy transfer pathways of all kinds of Nd3+-sensitized nanoconstructs focusing on the properties of Nd3+ ions and discusses their recent potential applications as near-infrared (NIR) enabled photomedicine. This review article will contribute to the design and fabrication of novel Nd3+-sensitized nanoconstructs for NIR-enabled photomedicine, aiming for potentially safer and more efficient designs to get closer to clinical usage.