TY - JOUR A1 - Grauel, Bettina A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Homann, C. A1 - Krukewitt, Lisa A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Roik, Janina A1 - Recknagel, Sebastian A1 - Haase, M. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Volume and surface effects on two-photonic and three-photonic processes in dry co-doped upconversion nanocrystals N2 - Despite considerable advances in synthesizing high-quality core/shell upconversion (UC) nanocrystals (NC; UCNC) and UCNC photophysics, the application of near-infrared (NIR)-excitable lanthanide-doped UCNC in the life and material sciences is still hampered by the relatively low upconversion luminescence (UCL) of UCNC of small size or thin protecting shell. To obtain deeper insights into energy transfer and surface quenching processes involving Yb3+ and Er3+ ions, we examined energy loss processes in differently sized solid core NaYF4 nanocrystals doped with either Yb3+ (YbNC; 20% Yb3+) or Er3+ (ErNC; 2% Er3+) and co-doped with Yb3+ and Er3+ (YbErNC; 20% Yb3+ and 2% Er3+) without a surface protection shell and coated with a thin and a thick NaYF4 shell in comparison to single and co-doped bulk materials. Luminescence studies at 375 nm excitation demonstrate backenergy transfer (BET) from the 4G11/2 state of Er3+ to the 2F5/2 state of Yb3+, through which the red Er3+ 4F9/2 state is efficiently populated. Excitation power density (P)-dependent steady state and time-resolved photoluminescence measurements at different excitation and emission wavelengths enable to separate surface-related and volume-related effects for two-photonic and threephotonic processes involved in UCL and indicate a different influence of surface passivation on the green and red Er3+ emission. The intensity and lifetime of the latter respond particularly to an increase in volume of the active UCNC core. We provide a threedimensional random walk model to describe these effects that can be used in the future to predict the UCL behavior of UCNC. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion KW - Nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Pphotophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Excitation KW - Power density KW - Single particle KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - Mechanism KW - Modeling KW - Simulation KW - Energy transfer PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-535317 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-021-3727-y SN - 1998-0124 VL - 15 IS - 3 SP - 2362 EP - 2373 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-53531 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Ahiboz, D. A1 - Andresen, Elina A1 - Manley, P. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Becker, C. T1 - Enhanced photon upconversion using erbium-doped nanoparticles interacting with silicon metasurfaces N2 - Photon upconversion (UC) using trivalent erbium (Er+3) doped crystals is a promising concept to harness near infrared photons of the solar spectrum which cannot be directly absorbed by silicon solar cells. However, their UC efficiency at low-intensity 1 sun illumination is not relevant on device level so far. Exploiting giant near-field enhancement effects on metasurfaces is an appealing approach to enable efficient UC at low irradiance conditions. Here, we report on more than 1000-fold enhanced photon UC of NaYF4:Er+3 nanoparticles interacting with the near-fields supported by a silicon metasurface under 1550 nm excitation. T2 - 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) CY - Online meeting DA - 20.06.2021 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 - Modeling KW - Simulation KW - Energy transfer KW - Photonic crystal KW - Enhancement strategy PY - 2021 DO - https://doi.org/10.1109/pvsc43889.2021.9518495 SP - 1 EP - 3 PB - IEEE CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-53786 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Pauli, Jutta A1 - Weigert, Florian T1 - Quantitative optical-spectroscopic characterization of luminescent nanomaterials - Photoluminescence Quantum Yields N2 - Accurate and quantitative photoluminescence measurements are mandatory for the comparison of different emitter classes and the rational design of the next generation of molecular and nanoscale reporters as well as for most applications relying on their luminescence features in the life and material sciences and nanobiophotonics. In the following, procedures for the determination of the spectroscopic key parameter photoluminescence quantum yield, i.e., the number of emitted per absorbed photons, in the UV/vis/NIR/SWIR are presented including pitfalls and achievable uncertainties and material-specific effects related to certain emitter classes are addressed. Special emphasis is dedicated to luminescent nanocrystals. T2 - International Workshop on "Emerging Nanomaterials for Displays and SSL" CY - Dresden, Germany DA - 11.11.2021 KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Nanocrystal KW - Semiconductor quantum dot KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Surface chemistry KW - Brightness KW - NIR KW - SWIR KW - Method KW - Uncertainty KW - Rreference material PY - 2021 AN - OPUS4-53783 LA - deu AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Amouroux, B. A1 - Eftekhari, A. A1 - Roux, C. A1 - Micheau, J. A1 - Roblin, P. A1 - Pasturel, M. A1 - Gauffre, F. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Sliwa, M. A1 - Bouchet, A. A1 - Coudret, C. T1 - Synthesis and Emission Dynamics of Sub-3 nm Upconversion Nanoparticles N2 - Reducing the size of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) down to a few nm yields luminescent materials containing a very small number of emitters. Considering the bottom limit of one activator per particle ultrasmall UCNPs offer an unprecedented platform to study the contributions of the energy transfers at play in upconversion luminescence. Maintaining detectable emission despite the limited number of emitting ions and the high surface-to-volume ratio requires suitable particle architectures. Na(Gd-Yb)F4:Tm3+ emissive sub-3 nm diameter 𝜷-phase UCNPs are prepared using a gadolinium-rich composition in situ mixing of the precursors and a microwave high-temperature cycling sequence allowing precise control of the particle size and dispersity. These cores are coated with a NaGdF4 inert shell to minimize the deleterious influence of surface quenching (SQ). Time-resolved luminescence measurements combining standard NIR excitation of the Yb3+ sensitizer and direct UV excitation of the Tm3+ activator are performed to quantify cross relaxation and surface quenching processes. The fine tuning of the number of activators per particle via an optimized synthesis pathway along with the use of an appropriate excitation scheme enabled to provide an accurate analysis of the different mechanisms at play in these model nanoparticles and to characterize the structure of the core-shell architecture. KW - Lanthanide KW - Nanoparticle KW - Luminescence KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Quantum yield KW - Energy transfer KW - Quality assurance KW - Synthesis KW - Surface modification KW - Photophysics PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-606877 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202303283 SN - 2195-1071 SP - 1 EP - 13 AN - OPUS4-60687 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Le Guevel, X. A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Baulin, V. A. A1 - Musnier, B. A1 - Josserand, V. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Koll, J-C T1 - Tailoring the SWIR emission of gold nanoclusters by surface ligand rigidification and their application in 3D bioimaging N2 - The influence of solvent polarity and surface ligand rigidification on the SWIR emission profile of gold nanoclusters with an anistropic surface was investigated. A strong enhancement of the SWIR emission band at 1200 nm was observed when measuring in different local environments: in solution, in polymer composites, and in solids. SWIR in vivo imaging of mice assisted by deep learning after intravenous administration of these gold nanoclusters provides high definition pseudo-3D views of vascular blood vessels. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Metal cluster KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - NIR KW - SWIR KW - Ligand KW - Gold KW - Mechanism KW - Charge transfer KW - Enhancement strategy KW - Imaging KW - Application KW - Contrast agent PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-543582 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/D1CC06737K VL - 58 IS - 18 SP - 2967 EP - 2970 PB - RSC AN - OPUS4-54358 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fiedler, Saskia A1 - Frenzel, Florian A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Tavernaro, Isabella A1 - Grüne, M. A1 - Schweizer, S. A1 - Engel, A. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Interlaboratory Comparison on Absolute Photoluminescence Quantum Yield Measurements of Solid Light Converting Phosphors with Three Commercial Integrating Sphere Setups N2 - Scattering luminescent materials dispersed in liquid and solid matrices and luminescent powders are increasingly relevant for fundamental research and industry. Examples are luminescent nano- and microparticles and phosphors of different compositions in various matrices or incorporated into ceramics with applications in energy conversion, solid-state lighting, medical diagnostics, and security barcoding. The key parameter to characterize the performance of these materials is the photoluminescence/fluorescence quantum yield (Φf), i.e., the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons. To identify and quantify the sources of uncertainty of absolute measurements of Φf of scattering samples, the first interlaboratory comparison (ILC) of three laboratories from academia and industry was performed by following identical measurement protocols. Thereby, two types ofcommercial stand-alone integrating sphere setups with different illumination and detection geometries were utilized for measuring the Φf of transparent and scattering dye solutions and solid phosphors, namely, YAG:Ce optoceramics of varying surface roughness, used as converter materials for blue light emitting diodes. Special emphasis was dedicated to the influence of the measurement geometry, the optical properties of the blank utilized to determine the number of photons of the incident excitation light absorbed by the sample, and the sample-specific surface roughness. While the Φf values of the liquid samples matched between instruments, Φf measurements of the optoceramics with different blanks revealed substantial differences. The ILC results underline the importance of the measurement geometry, sample position, and blank for reliable Φf data of scattering the YAG:Ce optoceramics, with the blank’s optical properties accounting for uncertainties exceeding 20%. KW - Nano KW - Fluorescence KW - Reference material KW - Luminescence KW - Quantitative spectroscopy KW - Particle KW - Quantum yield KW - Quality assurance KW - Phosphor KW - Converter material KW - Lifetime KW - Interlaboratory comparison KW - Method KW - Uncertainty PY - 2024 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-600945 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00372 SN - 0003-2700 SP - 6730 EP - 6737 PB - ACS Publications AN - OPUS4-60094 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 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 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Carl, F. A1 - Grauel, Bettina A1 - Pons, Monica A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Haase, M. T1 - LiYF4:Yb/LiYF4 and LiYF4:Yb,Er/LiYF4 core/shell nanocrystals with luminescence decay times similar to YLF laser crystals and the upconversion quantum yield of the Yb,Er doped nanocrystals N2 - We developed a procedure to prepare luminescent LiYF4:Yb/LiYF4 and LiYF4:Yb,Er/LiYF4 core/shell nanocrystals with a size of approximately 40 nm revealing luminescence decay times of the dopant ions that approach those of high-quality laser crystals of LiYF4:Yb (Yb:YLF) and LiYF4:Yb,Er (Yb,Er:YLF) with identical doping concentrations. As the luminescence decay times of Yb3+ and Er3+ are known to be very sensitive to the presence of quenchers, the long decay times of the core/shell nanocrystals indicate a very low number of defects in the core particles and at the core/shell interfaces. This improvement in the performance was achieved by introducing two important modifications in the commonly used oleic acid based synthesis. First, the shell was prepared via anewly developed method characterized by a very low nucleation rate for particles of pure LiYF4 shell material. Second, anhydrous acetates were used as precursors and additional drying steps were applied to reduce the incorporation of OH− in the crystal lattice, known to quench the emission of Yb3+ ions. Excitation power density (P)-dependent absolute measurements of the upconversion luminescence quantum yield (Φ,UC) of LiYF4:Yb,Er/LiYF4 core/shell particles reveal a maximum value of 1.25% at P of 180 W·cm−2. Although lower than the values reported for NaYF4:18%Yb,2%Er core/shell nanocrystals with comparable sizes, these Φ, UC values are the highest reported so far for LiYF4:18%Yb,2%Er/LiYF4 nanocrystals without additional dopants. Further improvements May nevertheless be possible by optimizing the dopant concentrations in the LiYF4 nanocrystals. KW - Nano KW - Crystal KW - Quantum yield KW - LiYF4 KW - Synthesis KW - Lifetime KW - Fluorescence KW - NIR KW - Photoluminescence KW - Lanthanide KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Nanomaterial PY - 2020 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-515395 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-020-3116-y SN - 1998-0124 VL - 14 IS - 3 SP - 797 EP - 806 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-51539 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Grauel, Bettina A1 - Pons, Monika A1 - Frenzel, Florian A1 - Rissiek, P. A1 - Rücker, Kerstin A1 - Haase, Markus A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Yb- and Er concentration dependence of the upconversion luminescence of highly doped NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4:Lu core/shell nanocrystals prepared by a water-free synthesis N2 - High sensitizer and activator concentrations have been increasingly examined to improve the performance of multi-color emissive upconversion (UC) nanocrystals (UCNC) like NaYF4:Yb,Er and first strategies were reported to reduce concentration quenching in highly doped UCNC. UC luminescence (UCL) is, however, controlled not only by dopant concentration, yet by an interplay of different parameters including size, crystal and shell quality, and excitation power density (P). Thus, identifying optimum dopant concentrations requires systematic studies of UCNC designed to minimize additional quenching pathways and quantitative spectroscopy. Here, we quantify the dopant concentration dependence of the UCL quantum yield (ΦUC) of solid NaYF4:Yb,Er/NaYF4:Lu upconversion core/shell nanocrystals of varying Yb3+ and Er3+ concentrations (Yb3+ series: 20%‒98% Yb3+; 2% Er3+; Er3+ series: 60% Yb3+; 2%‒40% Er3+). To circumvent other luminescence quenching processes, an elaborate synthesis yielding OH-free UCNC with record ΦUC of ~9% and ~25 nm core particles with a thick surface shell were used. High Yb3+ concentrations barely reduce ΦUC from ~9% (20% Yb3+) to ~7% (98% Yb3+) for an Er3+ concentration of 2%, thereby allowing to strongly increase the particle absorption cross section and UCNC brightness. Although an increased Er3+ concentration reduces ΦUC from ~7% (2% Er3+) to 1% (40%) for 60% Yb3+. Nevertheless, at very high P (> 1 MW/cm2) used for microscopic studies, highly Er3+-doped UCNC display a high brightness because of reduced saturation. These findings underline the importance of synthesis control and will pave the road to many fundamental studies of UC materials. KW - Upconverion KW - Nanoparticle KW - Lanthanides KW - Quantum yield PY - 2022 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-551346 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4570-5 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Springer AN - OPUS4-55134 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Saleta Reig, D. A1 - Grauel, Bettina A1 - Konyushkin, V. A. A1 - Nakladov, A. N. A1 - Federov, P. P. A1 - Busko, D. A1 - Howard, I. A. A1 - Richards, B. S. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Kuznetsov, S. V. A1 - Turshatov, A. A1 - Würth, Christian T1 - Upconversion properties of SrF2:Yb3+,Er3+ single N2 - Synthesis of new upconversion (UC) materials that can convert near-infrared excitation light into visible emission light with high efficiency has crucial importance for energy and bio-applications. Herein, SrF2 single crystals with a doping concentration of 2 mol% Er3+ and 2–8 mol% Yb3+ were synthesized and the optical properties were studied. The absorption cross-section of the different doping ions was calculated. To identify the most efficient and brightest material absolute excitation power dependent UC photoluminescence quantum yields (ϕUC) and brightness values were determined. In addition, excitation characteristics and luminescence lifetimes were analysed to understand the changes in population pathways and possible quenching mechanisms. A dominant two-photon population behaviour of the red and green emission bands was observed for all investigated doping concentrations of Yb3+ and Er3+. The ϕUC value of 6.5% measured using 230 W cm−2 of 976 nm excitation for SrF2 crystal co-doped with 2 mol% Er3+ and 3 mol% Yb3+. These findings broaden the scope of efficient UC materials apart from the record UC material β-NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ and provide benchmark values for cubic-phase and especially SrF2- nano and micrometer sized materials. KW - Luorescence KW - Upconversion KW - Crystal KW - Lanthanide KW - Quantum yield KW - Absolute KW - Lifetime KW - Er(III) KW - Quality assurance KW - Fluorescence standard KW - SrF2 PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c9tc06591a VL - 8 IS - 12 SP - 4093 EP - 4101 PB - Journal of Materials Chemistry C AN - OPUS4-50825 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER -