An upconverted afterglow color conversion strategy for in-situ activated persistent luminescent imaging of medical implants.

Upconverted afterglow imaging presents a promising avenue for long-term auto-fluorescence-free imaging applications without the necessity of expensive time-resolved equipment. In this research, inspired by LED design, we devised a straightforward ternary upconverted afterglow conversion (UAC) strategy that amalgamates upconversion NaYbF 4 : Tm 0.005 (UP), afterglow ZnS:Cu,Co (AP), and color conversion CaAlSiN 3 :Eu phosphors (CP). This fusion resulted in a UAC composite that displays a deep-red to near-infrared (NIR) afterglow with a peak at 663 nm, following a brief activation period by 980 nm light. Importantly, an enhancement of 116 times was realized by using the UAC strategy when comparing with a typical single phase afterglow phosphor, Zn 3 Ga 2 SnO 8 :Cr,Yb,Er. The NIR-rechargeable afterglow sustained for a minimum of 100 min after a mere 3 s of NIR wireless charging process and is chemically stable. This makes it highly suitable for long-term luminescence imaging applications. To demonstrate its potential, we employed our ternary UAC phosphor to image medical plastic prostheses through pig skin in vitro and simulated a plastic surgery on a mouse model in vivo. Such luminescent information could prove invaluable for planning future surgical interventions, such as prosthesis replacement, removal, or necessary debris cleaning. [Display omitted] • NaYbF 4 :Tm was used as a wireless upconversion charger using NIR light as energy. • ZnS:Cu,Co was found to be an outstanding energy accumulator with intense afterglow. • CaAlSiN 3 :Eu was used as a color conversion phosphor to adjust spectrum for bioimaging. • The composite realized 116 times more intense afterglow than Zn 3 Ga 2 SnO 8 :Cr,Yb,Er. • The composite was used to prepare self-luminescent prosthesis in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]