Application of perovskites in bioimaging: the state-of-the-art and future developments

BACKGROUND: Recently, the development of perovskite-based nanocrystals for sustainable applications in bioimaging and clinical diagnostics have become a very active area of research. From 2D hybrid to zero-dimensional quantum dots (QDs), perovskites along with a variety of characteristic features, specifically non-linear optoelectronics properties, have attracted enormous research attention. These characteristics can be tuned by the type of cations or anions and their ratio used in host perovskites. Carrier doping and chemical modifications are additional alternatives to control optical and magnetism in radiodiagnostics. AREA COVERED: This review begins by explaining the physical phenomena associated with luminescence or optical features of novel perovskites in diagnostic applications. Moreover, reported oxide, halide, doped, and QDs-based nanoprobes were elaborated. At last, the need for novel perovskite development, for example, persistent luminescent and low cytotoxicity is discussed, and the futuristic perspective of perovskites in clinical diagnostics with real-time demonstration is explained. EXPERT OPINION: Our article concludes that hybrid perovskites, including metal-free, core-shell nanocomposites-based, and alloy-based perovskites, exhibit tunable bandgap and high photoluminescence quantum yields which ultimately result in high optical features. However, given limited understanding of ion transport mechanisms and dependency on environmental conditions of the perovskites, more research is needed.