Ambient large-scale template-mediated synthesis of high-aspect ratio single-crystalline, chemically doped rare-earth phosphate nanowires for bioimaging

A simple and effective template-mediated protocol has been developed for the large-scale, roomtemperature preparation of high-aspect-ratio, single-crystalline Tb-doped CePO ₄ nanowires, measuring ̃12 nm in diameter and over 10 μm in length. Moreover, we also isolated sheaf-like bundles of nanostructures. The synthesis mechanism likely involved a crystal splitting step. The resulting nanowires demonstrated an intense redox-sensitive green photoluminescence, which was exploited, in addition to their inherently high biocompatibility and low toxicity, for potential applications in biological imaging and labeling of cells.