Enhancement of Light and X-ray Charging in Persistent Luminescence Nanoparticle Scintillators Zn2SiO4:Mn2+, Yb3+, Li+

Persistent luminescence nanoparticle scintillators (PLNS) have been attempted for X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy (X-PDT) because persistent luminescence after ceasing radiation can make PLNS use less cumulative irradiation time and dose to generate the same amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) compared with conventional scintillators to combat cancer cells. However, excessive surface defects in PLNS reduce the luminescence efficiency and quench the persistent luminescence, which is fatal to the efficacy of X-PDT. Herein, the PLNS of SiO2@Zn2SiO4:Mn2+, Yb3+, Li+ was designed by the energy trap engineering and synthesized by a simple template method, which has excellent X-ray and UV-excited persistent luminescence and continuously tunable emission spectra from 520 to 550 nm. Its luminescence intensity and afterglow time are more than 7 times that of the reported Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ used for X-PDT. By loading a Rose Bengal (RB) photosensitizer, an effective persistent energy transfer from the PLNS to photosensitizer is observed even after the removal of X-ray irradiation. The X-ray dose of nanoplatform SiO2@ Zn2SiO4:Mn2+, Yb3+, Li+@RB in X-PDT of HeLa cancer cells was reduced to 0.18 Gy compared to the X-ray dose of 1.0 Gy for Zn2SiO4:Mn for X-PDT. This indicates that the Zn2SiO4:Mn2+, Yb3+, Li+ PLNS have great potential for X-PDT applications.

Automated summary

In this study, persistent luminescence nanoparticle scintillators (PLNS) were developed for X-ray-induced photodynamic therapy (X-PDT). The PLNS of SiO2@Zn2SiO4:Mn2+, Yb3+, Li+ exhibited excellent X-ray and UV-excited persistent luminescence, as well as tunable emission spectra. By loading a photosensitizer, effective energy transfer was observed even after removing X-ray irradiation. The dose of X-ray for X-PDT was significantly reduced using the PLNS, indicating their great potential for X-PDT applications.