Characterization of rare-earth-doped nanophosphors for photodynamic therapy excited by clinical ionizing radiation beams

We investigated the optical properties of novel terbium (Tb3+)-doped nanophosphors with various host compounds irradiated by clinical electron, photon, and proton beams for their potential as optical probes. The emission spectra of nanophosphors embedded in tissue-mimicking phantoms were collected by an optical fiber connected to a CCD-coupled spectrograph while the samples were irradiated with electron and photon beams generated by a medical linear accelerator and proton beams generated by a clinical cyclotron. We characterized the luminescence of such nanophosphors as a function of the beam energy and observed a dose dependency of the luminescence signal. We demonstrated x-ray luminescence, cathodoluminescence, and ionoluminescence of the nanophosphors in clinical ionizing radiation fields, which indicates their potential as downconverters of high-energy radiation into visible light.

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