Universal Multifunctional Nanoplatform Based on Target-Induced in Situ Promoting Au Seeds Growth to Quench Fluorescence of Upconversion Nanoparticles

Construction of a new multifunctional chemo/biosensing platform for small biomolecules and tumor markers is of great importance in analytical chemistry. Herein, a novel universal multifunctional nanoplatform for biomolecules and enzyme activity detection was proposed based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and target-inducing enlarged gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). The reductive molecule such as H2O2 can act as the reductant to reduce HAuCl4, which will make the Au seeds grow. The enlarged AuNPs can effectively quench the fluorescence of UCNPs owing to the good spectral overlap between the absorption band of the AuNPs and the emission band of the UCNPs. Utilizing the FRET between the UCNPs and enlarged AuNPs, good linear relationship between the fluorescence of UCNPs and the concentration of H2O4, can be found. Based on this strategy, H2O2 related molecules such as L-lactate, glucose, and uric acid can also be quantified. On basis of UCNPs and PVP/HAuCl4, a general strategy for other reductants such as ascorbic acid (AA), dopamine (DA), or enzyme activity can be established. Therefore, the universal multifunctional nanoplatform based on UCNPs and the target inducing in situ enlarged Au NPs will show its potential as a simple method for the detection of some life related reductive molecules, enzyme substrates, as well as enzyme activity.