Nanoencapsulation of luminescent 3-hydroxypicolinate lanthanide complexes

We have synthesized luminescent nanoparticles comprising a core of lanthanide complexes and shells of amorphous silica using reverse micelles as nanoreactors. 3-Hydroxypicolinate complexes of Eu(III), Tb(III), and the corresponding heteronuclear complexes have been investigated as the photoactive cores. The size of the silica particles is within the nanometer scale, which, together with the ability for surface biofunctionalization, opens up perspectives for their use in bioapplications. Optical studies of the as-prepared nanoparticles reveal that the luminescence properties of the 3-hydroxypicolinate complexes in the matrices are markedly different from their original features