Person: Melle Hernández, Sonia
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First Name
Sonia
Last Name
Melle Hernández
Affiliation
Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Faculty / Institute
Óptica y Optometría
Department
Óptica
Area
Optica
Identifiers
34 results
Search Results
Now showing 1 - 10 of 34
Item Reaching Deeper: Absolute In Vivo Thermal Reading of Liver by Combining Superbright Ag2S Nanothermometers and In Silico Simulations(Advanced Science, 2021) Lifante Cañavate, José; Shen, Yingli; Zabala Gutiérrez, Irene; Rubia Rodríguez, Irene; Ortega, Daniel; Fernández Monsalve, Nuria; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Granado García, Miriam; Rubio Retama, Jorge; Jaque García, Daniel; Ximendes, Erving ClaytonLuminescent nano‐thermometry is a fast‐developing technique with great potential for in vivo sensing, diagnosis, and therapy. Unfortunately, it presents serious limitations. The luminescence generated by nanothermometers, from which thermal readout is obtained, is strongly distorted by the attenuation induced by tissues. Such distortions lead to low signal levels and entangle absolute and reliable thermal monitoring of internal organs. Overcoming both limitations requires the use of high‐brightness luminescent nanothermometers and adopting more complex approaches for temperature estimation. In this work, it is demonstrated how superbright Ag2S nanothermometers can provide in vivo, reliable, and absolute thermal reading of the liver during laser‐induced hyperthermia. For that, a new procedure is designed in which thermal readout is obtained from the combination of in vivo transient thermometry measurements and in silico simulations. The synergy between in vivo and in silico measurements has made it possible to assess relevant numbers such as the efficiency of hyperthermia processes, the total heat energy deposited in the liver, and the relative contribution of Ag2S nanoparticles to liver heating. This work provides a new way for absolute thermal sensing of internal organs with potential application not only to hyperthermia processes but also to advanced diagnosis and therapy.Item Oligonucleotide Sensor Based on Selective Capture of Upconversion Nanoparticles Triggered by Target Induced DNA Inter-Strand Ligand Reaction(ACS applied materials & interfaces, 2017) Méndez González, Diego; Laurenti, Marco; Latorre, Alfonso; Somoza, Álvaro; Vázquez, Ana; Negredo, Ana Isabel; López Cabarcos, Enrique; Calderón, Oscar Gómez; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Rubio Retama, JorgeWe present a sensor that exploits the phenomenon of upconversion luminescence to detect the presence of specific sequences of small oligonucleotides like miRNAs among others. The sensor is based on NaYF4:Yb,Er@SiO2 nanoparticles functionalized with ssDNA that contain azide groups on the 3' ends. In the presence of a target sequence, inter-strand ligation is possible via click-reaction between one azide of the upconversion probe and a DBCO-ssDNA-biotin probe present in the solution. As result of this specific and selective process, biotin is covalently attached to the surface of the upconversion nanoparticles. The presence of biotin on the surface of the nanoparticles allows their selective capture on a streptavidin-coated support, giving a luminescent signal proportional to the amount of target present in the test samples. With the aim of studying the analytical properties of the sensor, total RNA samples were extracted from healthy mosquitoes and spiked-in with a specific target sequence at different concentrations. The result of these experiments revealed that the sensor was able to detect 10-17 moles (100 fM) of the target sequence in mixtures containing 100 ng of total RNA per well. Similar limit of detection was found for spiked human serum samples, demonstrating its suitability for detecting specific sequences of small oligonucleotides under real conditions. By contrast, under the presence of non-complementary sequences or sequences having mismatches, the luminescent signal was negligible or conspicuously reduced.Item Líneas de investigación del Grupo UCM de Física del Láser, Óptica Cuántica y Óptica No Lineal(Óptica Pura y Aplicada, 2011) Antón Revilla, Miguel Ángel; Arrieta Yáñez, Francisco; Cabrera Granado, Eduardo; Carreño Sánchez, Fernando; Ezquerro Rodríguez, José Miguel; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Gonzalo Fonrodona, Isabel; Guerra Pérez, José Manuel; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Soler Rus, Miguel Odín; Sánchez Balmaseda, Margarita María; Weigand Talavera, Rosa MaríaEn este trabajo presentamos las líneas de investigación del Grupo de Física del Láser, Óptica Cuántica y Óptica No Lineal de la UCM. La investigación comprende trabajos experimentales y teóricos en el desarrollo de prototipos de láser, análisis de inestabilidades espacio-temporales en láseres de gran apertura, el estudio de propagación de radiación en régimen de luz lenta y de pulsos ultracortos en medios resonantes y no resonantes, la generación de radiación por procesos no lineales y el estudio de memorias ópticas por eco fotónico.Item Dynamic population gratings in highly doped erbium fibers(Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 2011) Melle Hernández, Sonia; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Zhuo, Zhong C.; Antón Revilla, Miguel Ángel; Carreño Sánchez, FernandoThe efficiency of the dynamic population gratings recorded in highly doped erbium fibers has been studied. We find that the grating response increases with optical density, although the presence of erbium ion pairs in fibers with ion density of the order of 6:3 × 1025 m−3 degrades the grating efficiency. The experimental results have been reproduced including inhomogeneous upconversion processes in the nonlinear coupled-wave equations.Item Control of upconversion luminescence by gold nanoparticle size: from quenching to enhancement(Nanoscale, 2019) Méndez González, Diego; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Laurenti, Marco; Cabrera Granado, Eduardo; Egatz-Gómez, Ana; López Cabarcos, Enrique; Rubio Retama, Jorge; Díaz García, ElenaMetallic nanostructures have the potential to modify the anti-Stokes emission of upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) by coupling their plasmon resonance with either the excitation or the emission wavelength of the UCNPs. In this regard gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have often been used in sensors for UCNP luminescence quenching or enhancement, although systematic studies are still needed in order to design optimal UCNP–AuNP based biosensors. Amidst mixed experimental evidence of quenching or enhancement, two key factors arise: the nanoparticle distance and nanoparticle size. In this work, we synthesize AuNPs of different sizes to assess their influence on the luminescence of UCNPs. We find that strong luminescence quenching due to resonance energy transfer is preferentially achieved for small AuNPs, peaking at an optimal size. A further increase in the AuNP size is accompanied by a reduction of luminescence quenching due to an incipient plasmonic enhancement effect. This enhancement counterbalances the luminescence quenching effect at the biggest tested AuNP size. The experimental findings are theoretically validated by studying the decay rate of the UCNP emitters near a gold nanoparticle using both a classical phenomenological model and the finite-difference time-domain method. Results from this study establish general guidelines to consider when designing sensors based on UCNPs–AuNPs as donor–quencher pairs, and suggest the potential of plasmon-induced luminescence enhancement as a sensing strategy.Item In Vivo Near-Infrared Imaging Using Ternary Selenide Semiconductor Nanoparticles with an Uncommon Crystal Structure(Small, 2021) Yao, Jingke; Lifante, José; Rodríguez Sevilla, Paloma; Fuente Fernández, María de la; Sanz Rodríguez, Francisco; Ortgies, Dirk H.; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Ximendes, Erving; Jaque García, Daniel; Marin, RiccardoThe implementation of in vivo fluorescence imaging as a reliable diagnostic imaging modality at the clinical level is still far from reality. Plenty of work remains ahead to provide medical practitioners with solid proof of the potential advantages of this imaging technique. To do so, one of the key objectives is to better the optical performance of dedicated contrast agents, thus improving the resolution and penetration depth achievable. This direction is followed here and the use of a novel AgInSe2 nanoparticle-based contrast agent (nanocapsule) is reported for fluorescence imaging. The use of an Ag2Se seeds-mediated synthesis method allows stabilizing an uncommon orthorhombic crystal structure, which endows the material with emission in the second biological window (1000–1400 nm), where deeper penetration in tissues is achieved. The nanocapsules, obtained via phospholipid-assisted encapsulation of the AgInSe2 nanoparticles, comply with the mandatory requisites for an imaging contrast agent—colloidal stability and negligible toxicity—and show superior brightness compared with widely used Ag2S nanoparticles. Imaging experiments point to the great potential of the novel AgInSe2-based nanocapsules for high-resolution, whole-body in vivo imaging. Their extended permanence time within blood vessels make them especially suitable for prolonged imaging of the cardiovascular system.Item FRET distance dependence from upconverting nanoparticles to quantum dots(Journal of physical chemistry C, 2018) Melle Hernández, Sonia; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Laurenti, Marco; Méndez González, Diego; Egatz-Gómez, Ana; López Cabarcos, Enrique; Cabrera Granado, Eduardo; Díaz García, Elena; Rubio Retama, JorgeFörster resonant energy transfer (FRET) with upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) as donors and quantum dots (QDs) as acceptors has been regarded as a promising tool for biosensing applications. In this work, we use time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy to analyze the UCNP-to-QD FRET and we focus on the most relevant parameter of the FRET phenomenon, UCNP-QD distance. This distance is controlled by a nanometric silica shell around the UCNP surface. We theoretically reproduce the experimental results applying FRET theory to the distribution of emitting erbium ions in the UCNP. This simple model allows us to estimate the contribution of every erbium ion to the final FRET response and to explore different strategies to improve FRET efficiency.Item Homogeneous broadening effect on temperature dependence of green upconversion luminescence in erbium doped fibers(Journal of Luminescence, 2013) Egatz-Gómez, Ana; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Carreño Sánchez, Fernando; Antón Revilla, Miguel Ángel; Gort, Elske M.We study the green upconversion luminescence of Er3+ ions in an aluminosilicate optical fiber upon near infrared excitation at 787 nm. The dependence of the upconversion luminescence on temperature has been determined. As temperature drops from room to cryogenic temperatures, the upconversion green emission reaches a maximum around 40 K, and then decreases. A nearly quadratic dependence of the upconversion luminescence with excitation power is found, which is consistent with a sequential stepwise two-photon absorption process. These results have been explained with a semiclassical model that considers the inhomogeneous broadening of the optical transitions due to glass imperfections, and the dependence of the homogeneous linewidth broadening on temperature.Item Upconverting Nanoparticles in Aqueous Media: Not a Dead-End Road. Avoiding Degradation by Using Hydrophobic Polymer Shells(Small, 2021) Méndez González, Diego; Torres Vera, Vivian Andrea; Zabala Gutiérrez, Irene; Gerke, Christoph; Cascales Sedano, Concepción; Rubio Retama, Jorge; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Laurenti, MarcoThe stunning optical properties of upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have inspired promising biomedical technologies. Nevertheless, their transfer to aqueous media is often accompanied by intense luminescence quenching, partial dissolution by water, and even complete degradation by molecules such as phosphates. Currently, these are major issues hampering the translation of UCNPs to the clinic. In this work, a strategy is developed to coat and protect β-NaYF4 UCNPs against these effects, by growing a hydrophobic polymer shell (HPS) through miniemulsion polymerization of styrene (St), or St and methyl methacrylate mixtures. This allows one to obtain single core@shell UCNPs@HPS with a final diameter of ≈60–70 nm. Stability studies reveal that these HPSs serve as a very effective barrier, impeding polar molecules to affect UCNPs optical properties. Even more, it allows UCNPs to withstand aggressive conditions such as high dilutions (5 μg mL−1), high phosphate concentrations (100 mm), and high temperatures (70 °C). The physicochemical characterizations prove the potential of HPSs to overcome the current limitations of UCNPs. This strategy, which can be applied to other nanomaterials with similar limitations, paves the way toward more stable and reliable UCNPs with applications in life sciences.Item Plasmon-enhanced terahertz emission in self-assembled quantum dots by femtosecond pulses(Journal of Applied Physics, 2014) Carreño Sánchez, Fernando; Antón Revilla, Miguel Ángel; Melle Hernández, Sonia; Gómez Calderón, Óscar; Cabrera Granado, Eduardo; Cox, Joel; Singh, Mahi R.; Egatz-Gómez, AnaA scheme for terahertz (THz) generation from intraband transition in a self-assembled quantum dot (QD) molecule coupled to a metallic nanoparticle (MNP) is analyzed. The QD structure is described as a three-level atom-like system using the density matrix formalism. The MNP with spherical geometry is considered in the quasistatic approximation. A femtosecond laser pulse creates a coherent superposition of two subbands in the quantum dots and produces localized surface plasmons in the nanoparticle which act back upon the QD molecule via dipole-dipole interaction. As a result, coherent THz radiation with a frequency corresponding to the interlevel spacing can be obtained, which is strongly modified by the presence of the MNP. The peak value of the terahertz signal is analyzed as a function of nanoparticle's size, the MNP to QD distance, and the area of the applied laser field. In addition, we theoretically demonstrate that the terahertz pulse generation can be effectively controlled by making use of a train of femtosecond laser pulses. We show that by a proper choice of the parameters characterizing the pulse train a huge enhancement of the terahertz signal is obtained.