The synergistic or antagonistic effect of lanthanides on the photophysics of rose bengal in upconversion nanohybrids

A nanohybrid made of a xanthenic dye, rose bengal, grafted to an ytterbium and erbium codoped upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) served as a proof-of-concept to evaluate the fundamental mechanisms which govern the dye photophysics upon interaction with the UCNP. Both photoactive lanthanides strongly influence the singlet and triplet excited states of rose bengal. The photophysical behavior of rose bengal dramatically changes when functionalizing an upconversion nanoparticle due to its interaction with photoactive lanthanide cations of the matrix.

Automated summary

This study utilized a nanohybrid consisting of rose bengal dye and upconversion nanoparticles to investigate the fundamental mechanisms underlying the interaction between the two and its impact on the dye's photophysical behavior.