Persistent luminescence nanoparticles (PLNPs) can remain luminescent for hours after cessation of excitation. They have emerged as important materials for various niche applications, for example, in biomedicine due to their special ability to eliminate tissue autofluorescence and have great potential as bioprobes for the colorimetric detection of biomarkers. X-ray-based characterization techniques are powerful tools for determining and analyzing crystal structure and defects (or traps). However, the crystal structure and defects of PLNPs have not been well studied by these techniques to understand the structure-property relationship as well as their persistent luminescence mechanisms. Our hypothesis is that both crystal structure and defect data collected by X-ray-based characterization techniques will play major roles in understanding PLNPs’ persistent luminescence performance and mechanism. In this study, we will explore the crystal structure and defects of metal oxide PLNPs using X-ray-based characterization techniques to understand their mechanisms.

The specific research goals for students are to be able to:

·         Synthesizing persistently luminescent spinel Zn2GeO4:Cr (designated as ZGO:Cr) nanorods (NRs) with tunable properties using a hydrothermal method.

·         Investigating the long-range and local structure and defects of the ZGO:Cr NRs using X-ray diffraction techniques, including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy & synchrotron X-ray diffraction.

·         Correlating the structure and persistent luminescence properties and understanding the persistent luminescence mechanism of the ZGO:Cr NRs.

·         Exploring the application of the ZGO:Cr NRs in autofluorescence-free biosensing, e.g. constructing aptamer-guided ZGO:Cr biosensing probes for lysozyme detection in serum of cancer patients.

The specific learning goals for students are to be able to:

·         Gaining experience in hydrothermal synthesis of persistent luminescent metal oxide nanomaterials.

·         Explain the fundamentals and operation of X-ray-based characterization techniques.

·         Describe and analyze pertinent luminescence data of metal oxide nanomaterials.