ROS-generating rare-earth coordination networks for photodynamic inactivation of

Water-ethanol suspensions of 2D coordination network (CN) based on rare earth elements and mixed ligands were evaluated as reactive oxygen species (ROS) generators under UV light irradiation, in contact with a biomimetic substrate (tryptophan) or an O 2 ( 1 Δ g ) quencher (1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran; 1,3-DPBF). A combination of bottom-up and top-down strategies was implemented in order to obtain nano-sized CN particles and the subsequent colloidal suspensions were also tested towards photodynamic inactivation of Candida albicans (C. albicans) . SEM, TEM, FTIR, and XRD techniques were applied to characterize the solids and ICP-AES was employed to determine the metal content of the colloidal suspensions. Promising results were found indicating that the presence of Tb 3+ allows an intersystem crossing suitable for singlet oxygen generation, resulting in the antifungal activity of C. albicans culture upon UV-irradiation. Photodynamic inactivation of C. albicans was studied evaluating Nano-sized 2D coordination network particles as photosensitizers through the generation of ROS under UV radiation. Promising results confirm the antifungal activity against C. albicans .