LAUSR

Abstract A novel light-emitting energy transfer (ET) system was designed to detect hypochlorous acid. NaGdF4:Yb,Er@NaGdF4:Yb,Nd upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were sensitized by cyanine dye and formed micelles with the amphiphilic polymer DSPE-PEG-COOH to produce a hydrophilic UCNPs-Dye@DSPE-PEG-COOH nanoprobe. In the presence of hypochlorous acid, the structure of cyanine dyes was destroyed, thus the energy transfer from cyanine dye to UCNPs was inhibited, which results in the luminescent intensity of the composite nanoprobe decreased. Under the optimal conditions, the linear detection range for determination of hypochlorous acid is 0.040 -20 μM, and the detection limitation is 0.010 μM. In addition, the method can be utilized to detect hypochlorous acid in serum samples with satisfactory results.