TY - JOUR A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Islam, Fahima A1 - Prinz, Carsten A1 - Gehrmann, P. A1 - Licha, K. A1 - Roik, Janina A1 - Recknagel, Sebastian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Assessing the reproducibility and up‑scaling of the synthesis of Er,Yb‑doped NaYF4‑based upconverting nanoparticles and control of size, morphology, and optical properties JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Lanthanide-based, spectrally shifting, and multi-color luminescent upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) have received much attention in the last decades because of their applicability as reporter for bioimaging, super-resolution microscopy, and sensing as well as barcoding and anti-counterfeiting tags. A prerequisite for the broad application of UCNPs in areas such as sensing and encoding are simple, robust, and easily upscalable synthesis protocols that yield large quantities of UCNPs with sizes of 20 nm or more with precisely controlled and tunable physicochemical properties from lowcost reagents with a high reproducibility. In this context, we studied the reproducibility, robustness, and upscalability of the synthesis of β-NaYF4:Yb, Er UCNPs via thermal decomposition. Reaction parameters included solvent, precursor chemical compositions, ratio, and concentration. The resulting UCNPs were then examined regarding their application-relevant physicochemical properties such as size, size distribution, morphology, crystal phase, chemical composition, and photoluminescence. Based on these screening studies, we propose a small volume and high-concentration synthesis approach that can provide UCNPs with different, yet controlled size, an excellent phase purity and tunable morphology in batch sizes of up to at least 5 g which are well suited for the fabrication of sensors, printable barcodes or authentication and recycling tags. KW - Photoluminescence KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Synthesis KW - Reproducibility KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-570170 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-28875-8 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 1 EP - 13 AN - OPUS4-57017 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meng, M. A1 - Zhang, T. A1 - Wang, J. A1 - Cheng, Z. A1 - Yang, J. A1 - Qiao, X. A1 - Wen, J. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Ou, J. T1 - Fluorescence temperature sensing of NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ nanoparticles at low and high temperatures JF - Nanotechnology N2 - NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Nd3+/Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were prepared using a solvothermal method, and the effects of key factors such as the content of sensitiser Nd 3+ and Yb3+ on their luminescence properties were investigated. The nanoparticles are homogeneous in size and well dispersed. Under 808 nm excitation, it can produce strong upconversion fluorescence. At the same time, the nanoparticles have good temperature-sensing properties at the thermally coupled energy levels of 700 nm and 646 nm for Tm3+. Using its fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR), accurate temperature measurements can be performed, and it has been found that it exhibits different temperature sensing properties in low and high-temperature regions. The maximum relative sensitivity was found to be 0.88% K-1 and 1.89% K-1 for the lowtemperature region of 285 K-345 K and the high-temperature region of 345 K-495 K. The nanoparticles were applied to the internal temperature measurement of lithium batteries and the actual high-temperature environment, respectively, and were found to have good temperature measurementt performance. KW - Fluorescence KW - Sensor KW - Temperature KW - Ratiometric KW - Lanthanide KW - Quantum yield KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy KW - Absolute fluorescence KW - Quality assurance KW - Nano KW - Particle KW - Application KW - Upconversion nanoparticle PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6528/ac84e4 SN - 1361-6528 VL - 33 IS - 34 SP - 1 EP - 15 PB - IOP Publishing CY - Bristol AN - OPUS4-55454 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Zou, Q. A1 - Marcelot, C. A1 - Ratel-Ramond, N. A1 - Yi, X. A1 - Roblin, P. A1 - Frenzel, Florian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Eftekhari, A. A1 - Bouchet, A. A1 - Coudret, C. A1 - Verelst, M. A1 - Chen, X. A1 - Mauricot, R. A1 - Roux, C. T1 - Heterogeneous Oxysulfide@Fluoride Core/ Shell Nanocrystals for Upconversion-Based Nanothermometry JF - ACS Nano N2 - Lanthanide (Ln3+)-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) often suffer from weak luminescence, especially when their sizes are ultrasmall (less than 10 nm). Enhancing the upconversion luminescence (UCL) efficiency of ultrasmall UCNPs has remained a challenge that must be undertaken if any practical applications are to be envisaged. Herein, we present a Ln3+-doped oxysulfide@fluoride core/shell heterostructure which shows efficient UCL properties under 980nm excitation and good stability in solution. Through epitaxial heterogeneous growth, a ∼4 nm optically inert β-NaYF4 shell was coated onto ∼5 nm ultrasmall Gd2O2S:20%Yb,1%Tm. These Gd2O2S:20%Yb,1%Tm@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs exhibit a more than 800-fold increase in UCL intensity compared to the unprotected core, a 180-fold increase in luminescence decay time of the 3H4 → 3H6 Tm3+ transition from 5 to 900 μs, and an upconversion quantum yield (UCQY) of 0.76% at an excitation power density of 155 W/cm2. Likewise, Gd2O2S:20%Yb,2%Er@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs show a nearly 5000-fold increase of their UCL intensity compared to the Gd2O2S:20%Yb,2%Er core and a maximum UCQY of 0.61%. In the Yb/Er core−shell UCNP system, the observed variation of luminescence intensity ratio seems to originate from a change in lattice strain as the temperature is elevated. For nanothermometry applications, the thermal sensitivities based on thermally coupled levels are estimated for both Yb/Tm and Yb/Er doped Gd2O2S@NaYF4 core/shell UCNPs. KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Nanosensor KW - Lanthanide KW - Surface coating KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysic PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c02423 SN - 1936-0851 SP - 1 EP - 11 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-55440 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Meng, M. A1 - Zhang, R. A1 - Fa, X. A1 - Yang, J. A1 - Cheng, Z. A1 - Qiao, X. A1 - Ou, J. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Core−Shell NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaGdF4:Ce3+/Eu3+ Nanoparticles for Upconversion and Downconversion Dual-Mode Fluorescence-Based Temperature Sensing JF - Applied Nano Materials N2 - NaYF4 as the core and NaGdF4 as the outer layer were used to obtain NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4:Ce3+/Eu3+ nanoparticles. Physical and morphological investigations indicated that the obtained nanoparticles were prepared in a hexagonal shape, with the NaGdF4 shell layer uniformly encapsulated on the NaYF4 core. Strong Tm3+ upconversion emission peaks were observed for a 980-nm-laser-excited sample, while strong Eu3+ downconversion emission peaks were observed for a 254-nm-laser-excited sample. By zonal doping of Tm3+ and Eu3+, their fluorescence intensity can be significantly increased; more importantly, simultaneous temperature measurements with dual-mode upconversion/downconversion can be achieved. The temperature measurement properties of the dual mode were also investigated, and it was discovered that the upconversion 3F3 → 3H6 and 1G4 → 3F4 thermocouple energy levels gave the best temperature measurements with maximum absolute and relative sensitivities of 0.0877 K−1 and 1.95% K−1, respectively, which are better than the current temperature measurement sensitivities of most rare-earth-based materials. This material was prepared as fiber-optic temperature-sensing probes to detect the temperature in the environment in real time and was found to perform excellently for temperature measurement. KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Sensing; temperature KW - Photophysics PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.2c01611 VL - 5 IS - 7 SP - 9266 EP - 9276 PB - American Chemical Society AN - OPUS4-55363 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Monks, M.-J. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Kemnitz, Erhard A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Dopant ion concentration-dependent upconversion luminescence of cubic SrF2:Yb3+, Er3+ nanocrystals prepared by a fluorolytic sol–gel method JF - Nanoscale N2 - A fluorolytic sol–gel method was used for the fast and simple synthesis of small cubic-phase SrF2:Yb3+, Er3+ upconversion (UC) nanocrystals (UCNC) of different composition at room temperature. Systematic studies of the crystal phase and particle size of this Yb3+,Er3+-concentration series as well as excitation power density (P)-dependent UC luminescence (UCL) spectra, UCL quantum yields (ΦUCL), and UCL decay kinetics yielded maximum UCL performance for doping amounts of Yb3+ of 13.5% and Er3+ of 1.3% in the studied doping and P-range (30–400 W cm−2). Furthermore, ΦUCL were determined to be similar to popular β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+. The relative spectral UCL distributions revealed that all UCNC show a strong red emission in the studied doping and P-range (30–400 W cm−2) and suggest that the UCL quenching pathway for unshelled cubic-phase SrF2:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNC differs from the commonly accepted population and depopulation pathways of β-NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNC. In SrF2:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNC the 4S3/2 → 4I13/2 transition exhibits a notably stronger sensitivity towards P and reveals increasing values for decreasing Yb3+–Yb3+ distances while the 4I9/2 → 4I15/2 transition is significantly less affected by P and energy migration facilitated UCL quenching. These results emphasize the complexity of the UC processes and the decisive role of the crystal phase and symmetry of the host lattice on the operative UCL quenching mechanism in addition to surface effects. Moreover, the room temperature UCNC synthesis enabled a systematic investigation of the influence of the calcination temperature on the crystal phase of powder-UCNC and the associated UCL properties. Calcination studies of solid UCNC of optimized doping concentration in the temperature range of 175 °C and 800 °C showed the beneficial influence of temperature- induced healing of crystal defects on UCL and the onset of a phase separation connected with the oxygenation of the lanthanide ions at elevated temperature. This further emphasizes the sensitivity of the UC process to the crystal phase and quality of the host matrix. KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photophysics KW - Synthesis PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d2nr02337g SP - 1 EP - 10 PB - Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-55364 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Clark, P.C.J A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Sear, M. J. A1 - Favaro, M. A1 - Girardi, L. A1 - van de Krol, R. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Starr, D.E. T1 - Quantification of the Activator and Sensitizer Ion Distributions in NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ Upconverting Nanoparticles Via Depth-Profiling with Tender X-Ray Photoemission JF - Small N2 - The spatial distribution and concentration of lanthanide activator and sensitizer dopant ions are of key importance for the luminescence color and efficiency of upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs). Quantifying dopant ion distributions and intermixing, and correlating them with synthesis methods require suitable analytical techniques. Here, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy depth-profiling with tender X-rays (2000–6000 eV), providing probe depths ideally matched to UCNP sizes, is used to measure the depth-dependent concentration ratios of Er3+ to Yb3+, [Er3+]/[Yb3+], in three types of UCNPs prepared using different reagents and synthesis methods. This is combined with data simulations and inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) measurements of the lanthanide ion concentrations to construct models of the UCNPs’ dopant ion distributions. The UCNP sizes and architectures are chosen to demonstrate the potential of this approach. Core-only UCNPs synthesized with XCl3·6H2O precursors (β-phase) exhibit a homogeneous distribution of lanthanide ions, but a slightly surface-enhanced [Er3+]/[Yb3+] is observed for UCNPs prepared with trifluroacetate precursors (α-phase). Examination of Yb-core@Er-shell UCNPs reveals a co-doped, intermixed region between the single-doped core and shell. The impact of these different dopant ion distributions on the UCNP's optical properties is discussed to highlight their importance for UCNP functionality and the design of efficient UCNPs. KW - Shell KW - Nanomaterial KW - Nano KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Excitation power density KW - Surface KW - Coating KW - Core-shell KW - XPS KW - Intermixing KW - HAXPES KW - Method PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-552075 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202107976 SN - 1613-6813 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Wiley-VCH-Verlag CY - Weinheim, Germany AN - OPUS4-55207 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fa, X. A1 - Lin, Sh. A1 - Yang, J. A1 - Shen, Ch. A1 - Liu, Y. A1 - Gong, Y. A1 - Qin, A. A1 - Ou, Jun A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - −808 nm-activated Ca2+ doped up-conversion nanoparticles that release no inducing liver cancer cell (HepG2) apoptosis JF - Methods and Applications in Fluorescence N2 - Anear-infrared (NIR) light-triggered release method for nitric oxide (NO) was developed utilizing core/shell NaYF4: Tm/Yb/Ca@NaGdF4:Nd/Yb up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) bearing a mesoporous silica (mSiO2) shell loaded with theNOdonor S-nitroso-N-acetyl-DL-penicillamine (SNAP). To avoid overheating in biological samples, Nd3+ was chosen as a sensitizer, Yb3+ ions as the bridging sensitizer, andTm3+ ions as UV-emissive activator while co-doping with Ca2+ was done to enhance the luminescence of the activatorTm3+.NOrelease from SNAP was triggered by an NIR-UV up-conversion process, initiated by 808nmlight absorbed by the Nd3+ ions.NOrelease was confirmed by the Griess method. Under 808nmirradiation, the viability of the liver cancer cell line HepG2 significantly decreased with increasing UCNPs@mSiO2-SNAP concentration. For a UCNPs@mSiO2-SNAP concentration of 200 μgml−1, the cell survival probability was 47%. These results demonstrate that UCNPs@mSiO2-SNAP can induce the release of apoptosis-inducingNOby NIR irradiation. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation power density KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Triggered KW - Release KW - Cell KW - PDT KW - Dye KW - Therapy KW - Surface KW - Coating PY - 2022 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/2050-6120/ac5524 VL - 10 IS - 2 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - IOP Publishing AN - OPUS4-54842 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bastos, V. A1 - Oskoei, P. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Saleh, Maysoon I. A1 - Rühle, Bastian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Oliveira, H. T1 - Stability, dissolution, and cytotoxicity of NaYF4‑upconversion nanoparticles with different coatings JF - Scientific reports N2 - Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted considerable attention owing to their unique photophysical properties. Their utilization in biomedical applications depends on the understanding of their transformations under physiological conditions and their potential toxicity. In this study, NaYF4: Yb,Er UCNPs, widely used for luminescence and photophysical studies, were modified with a set of four different coordinatively bound surface ligands, i.e., citrate, alendronate (AA), ethylendiamine tetra(methylene phosphonate) (EDTMP), and poly(maleic anhydride-alt-1-octadecene) (PMAO), as well as silica coatings with two different thicknesses. Subsequently, the aging-induced release of fluoride ions in water and cell culture media and their cytotoxic profile to human keratinocytes were assessed in parallel to the cytotoxic evaluation of the ligands, sodium fluoride and the lanthanide ions. The cytotoxicity studies of UCNPs with different surface modifications demonstrated the good biocompatibility of EDTMP-UCNPs and PMAO-UCNPs, which is in line with the low amount of fluoride ions released from these samples. An efficient prevention of UCNP dissolution and release of cytotoxic ions, as well as low cytotoxicity was also observed for UCNPs with a sufficiently thick silica shell. Overall, our results provide new insights into the understanding of the contribution of surface chemistry to the stability, dissolution behavior, and cytotoxicity of UCNPs. Altogether, the results obtained are highly important for future applications of UCNPs in the life sciences and bioimaging studies. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Excitation power density KW - Surface chemistry KW - Coating PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-544681 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-07630-5 SN - 2045-2322 VL - 12 SP - 1 EP - 13 PB - Springer Nature CY - London AN - OPUS4-54468 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Ahiboz, D. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Manley, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Becker, C. T1 - Metasurface-Enhanced Photon Upconversion upon 1550 nm Excitation JF - Advanced Science News N2 - Photon upconversion upon 1550 nm excitation is of high relevance for applications in the third biological excitation window, for photovoltaics beyond current limitations, and enables appealing options in the field of glass Fiber telecommunications. Trivalent doped erbium ions (Er3+) are the material of choice for 1550 nm excited upconversion, however, they suffer from a low absorption cross-section and a low brightness. Therefore, the ability of Silicon metasurfaces to provide greatly enhanced electrical near-fields is employed to enable efficient photon upconversion even at low external Illumination conditions. Hexagonally shaped β-NaYF4:Er3+ nanoparticles are placed on large-area silicon metasurfaces designed to convert near-infrared (1550 nm) to visible light. More than 2400-fold enhanced photon upconversion luminescence is achieved by using this metasurface instead of a planar substrate. With the aid of optical simulations based on the finite-element method, this result is attributed to the coupling of the excitation source with metasurface resonances at appropriate incident angles. Analysis of the excitation power density dependence of upconversion luminescence and red-to-green-emission ratios enables the estimation of nanoscale near-field enhancement on the metasurface. The findings permit the significant reduction of required external excitation intensities for photon upconversion of 1550 nm light, opening perspectives in biophotonics, telecommunication, and photovoltaics. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation power density KW - Single particle KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Single enhancement KW - SWIR KW - Method PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-537193 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202101285. SN - 2195-1071 VL - 9 IS - 24 SP - 2101285 PB - Wiley-VCH-GmbH AN - OPUS4-53719 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frenzel, Florian A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Dukhno, O. A1 - Przybilla, F. A1 - Wiesholler, L. M. A1 - Muhr, V. A1 - Horsch, T. A1 - Mély, Y. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Multiband emission from single β-NaYF4(Yb,Er) nanoparticles at high excitation power densities and comparison to ensemble studies JF - Springer N2 - Ensemble and single particle studies of the excitation power density (P)-dependent upconversion luminescence (UCL) of core and core–shell β-NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) doped with 20% Yb3+ and 1% or 3% Er3+ performed over a P regime of 6 orders of magnitude reveal an increasing contribution of the emission from high energy Er3+ levels at P > 1 kW/cm2. This changes the overall emission color from initially green over yellow to white. While initially the green and with increasing P the red emission dominate in ensemble measurements at P < 1 kW/cm2, the increasing population of higher Er3+ energy levels by multiphotonic processes at higher P in single particle studies results in a multitude of emission bands in the ultraviolet/visible/near infrared (UV/vis/NIR) accompanied by a decreased contribution of the red luminescence. Based upon a thorough analysis of the P-dependence of UCL, the emission bands activated at high P were grouped and assigned to 2–3, 3–4, and 4 photonic processes involving energy transfer (ET), excited-state absorption (ESA), cross-relaxation (CR), back energy transfer (BET), and non-radiative relaxation processes (nRP). This underlines the P-tunability of UCNP brightness and color and highlights the potential of P-dependent measurements for mechanistic studies required to manifest the population pathways of the different Er3+ levels. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Llifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation power density KW - Single particle KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Color tuning PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3350-y SN - 1998-0124 VL - 14 IS - 11 SP - 4107 EP - 4115 PB - Nano Research AN - OPUS4-52364 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -