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Lanthanide-doped upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising for applications as wide as biosensing, bioimaging, controlled drug release, and cancer therapy. These applications require surface engineering of as-prepared nanocrystals, commonly coated with hydrophobic ligand of oleic acid, to enable an aqueous dispersion. However, literature-reported approaches often require a long time and/or multiple step treatment, along with several fold upconversion luminescence (UCL) intensity decrease. Here, we describe a strategy allowing oleate-capped UCNPs to become water-soluble and open-modified, with almost undiminished UCL, through ultrasonication of minutes. The prompt phase transfer was enabled by oleate-mediated supramolecular self-assembly of amino modified β-cyclodextrin (amino-β-CD) onto UCNPs surface. We showed that this method is valid for a wide range of UCNPs with quite different sizes (6–400 nm), various dopant types (Er, Tm, and Ho), and hierarchical structures (core, core-shell). Importantly, the amino group of amino-β-CD on the surface of treated UCNPs provide possibilities to introduce entities for biotargeting or functionalization, as exemplified here, a carboxylic-containing near infrared dye (Cy 7.5) that sensitizes UCNPs to enhance their UCL by ~4,820 fold when excited at ~808 nm. The described method has implications for all types of oleate-capped inorganic nanocrystals, facilitating their myriad bioapplications.

A Strategy for Prompt Phase Transfer of Upconverting Nanoparticles Through Surface Oleate-Mediated Supramolecular Assembly of Amino-β-Cyclodextrin