TY - JOUR A1 - Huang, K. A1 - Liu, H. A1 - Kraft, Marco A1 - Shikha, S. A1 - Zheng, X. A1 - Agren, H. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Zhang, Y. T1 - A protected excitation-energy reservoir for efficient upconversion luminescence JF - Nanoscale N2 - Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are of great interest for biomedical applications. Currently, the applicability of UCNP bionanotechnology is hampered by the generally low luminescence intensity of UCNPs and inefficient energy Transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound chromophores used e.g. for photodynamic therapy or analyte sensing. In this work, we address the low-Efficiency issue by developing versatile core-Shell nanostructures, where high-concentration sensitizers and activators are confined in the core and Shell Region of representative hexagonal NaYF2:Yb,Er UCNPs. After Doping concentration optimization, the sensitizer-rich core is able to harvest/accumulate more excitation energy and generate almost one order of Magnitude higher luminescence intesity than conventional homogeneously doped nanostructures. At the same time, the activator Ions located in the Shell enable a ~6 times more efficient resonant energy Transfer from UCNPs to surface-bound acceptor dye molecules due to the short distance between donor-acceptor pairs. Our work provides new insights into the rational design of UCNPs and will greatly encrease the General applicability of upconversion nanotechnologies. KW - Fluorescence KW - Lanthanide KW - Upconversion KW - Brightness KW - Quantification KW - Nanoparticle KW - Absolute fluorometry KW - NIR KW - IR KW - Quantum yield KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy KW - Method KW - Energy transfer KW - Shell KW - Particle architecture PY - 2017 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/c7nr06900f SN - 2040-3372 SN - 2040-3364 VL - 10 IS - 1 SP - 250 EP - 259 PB - The Royal Society of Chemistry AN - OPUS4-43893 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - CONF A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Hatami, Soheil A1 - Kaiser, Martin A1 - Pauli, Jutta A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Absolute fluorescence measurements > 1000 nm: setup design, calibration and standards N2 - Bright emitters with photoluminescence in the spectral region of 800 – 1600 nm are increasingly important as optical reporters for molecular imaging, sensing, and telecommunication and as active components in electrooptical and photovoltaic devices. Their rational design is directly linked to suitable methods for the characterization of their signal-relevant properties, especially their photoluminescence quantum yield. Aiming at the development of bright semiconductor nanocrystals with emission > 1000 nm, we designed a new NIR/IR integrating sphere setup for the wavelength region of 600 – 1600 nm. We assessed the performance of this setup by acquiring the corrected emission spectra and quantum yield of the organic dyes Itrybe, IR140, and IR26 and several infrared (IR)-emissive Cd1-xHgxTe and PbS semiconductor nanocrystals and comparing them to data obtained with two independently calibrated fluorescence instruments absolutely or relatively to previously evaluated reference dyes. Our results highlight special challenges of photoluminescence studies in the IR ranging from solvent absorption to the lack of spectral and intensity standards together with quantum dot-specific challenges like photobrightening and photodarkening and the size-dependent air stability and photostability of differently sized oleate-capped PbS colloids. These effects can be representative for lead chalcogenides. Moreover, we redetermined the quantum yield of IR26, the most frequently used IR reference dye, to 1.1×10-3 in 1,2-dichloroethane DCE with a thorough sample reabsorption and solvent absorption correction. T2 - SPIE CY - San Francisco, USA DA - 11.02.2016 KW - Ir KW - Quantum yield PY - 2016 AN - OPUS4-38405 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kraft, Marco A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Palo, Emilia A1 - Soukka, Tero A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Colour-optimized quantum yields of Yb, Tm Co-doped upconversion nanocrystals JF - Methods and Applications in Fluorescence N2 - Wepresent here a systematic analysis of the influence of Tm3+ Doping concentrations (xTm) on the excitation power (P)-dependent upconversion luminescence and -performance of hexagonal-Phase NaYF4: 20% Yb3+, xTm%Tm3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) for xTm of 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1.2, and 2.0, respectively. Our results reveal the influence of these differentTm3+ doping concentrations with respect to optimized upconversion quantum yield (ΦUC) values of the variousTm3+ upconversion emission bands, with the highestΦUC values of theTm3+ emission bands above 700 nmresulting for different xTm values as theTm3+ emission bands below 700 nm. This underlines the potential ofTm3+ dopant concentration for colour tuning. Special emphasis was dedicated to the spectroscopic parameters that can be linked to the (de)population pathways of the variousTm3+ energy levels, like the P- and xTm-dependent slope factors and the intensity ratios of selected emission bands. The evaluation of all parameters indicates that not only energy transfer upconversion-, but also crossrelaxation processes between neighbouringTm3+ ions play a vital role in the (de)population of the excited energy levels of Yb3+, Tm3+ codoped nanocrystals. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Mechanism KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime PY - 2019 DO - https://doi.org/10.1088/2050-6120/ab023b SN - 2050-6120 VL - 7 IS - 2 SP - 024001, 1 EP - 6 PB - IOP AN - OPUS4-47420 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Grabolle, Markus A1 - Pauli, Jutta A1 - Spieles, Monika A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Comparison of methods and achievable uncertainties for the relative and absolute measurement of photoluminescence quantum yields JF - Analytical chemistry N2 - The photoluminescence quantum yield (Φf) that presents a direct measure for the efficiency of the conversion of absorbed photons into emitted photons is one of the spectroscopic key parameters of functional fluorophores. It determines the suitability of such materials for applications in, for example, (bio)analysis, biosensing, and fluorescence imaging as well as as active components in optical devices. The reborn interest in accurate Φf measurements in conjunction with the controversial reliability of reported Φf values of many common organic dyes encouraged us to compare two relative and one absolute fluorometric method for the determination of the fluorescence quantum yields of quinine sulfate dihydrate, coumarin 153, fluorescein, rhodamine 6G, and rhodamine 101. The relative methods include the use of a chain of Φf transfer standards consisting of several 'standard dye' versus 'reference dye' pairs linked to a golden Φf standard that covers the ultraviolet and visible spectral region, and the use of different excitation wavelengths for standard and sample, respectively. Based upon these measurements and the calibration of the instruments employed, complete uncertainty budgets for the resulting Φf values are derived for each method, thereby providing evaluated standard operation procedures for Φf measurements and, simultaneously, a set of assessed Φf standards. KW - Fluorescence KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Dye KW - Uncertainty KW - Absolute quantum yield KW - Method comparison KW - Integrating sphere PY - 2011 DO - https://doi.org/10.1021/ac2000303 SN - 0003-2700 SN - 1520-6882 VL - 83 IS - 9 SP - 3431 EP - 3439 PB - American Chemical Society CY - Washington, DC AN - OPUS4-23632 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Geißler, Daniel A1 - Behnke, Thomas A1 - Kaiser, Martin A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Critical review of the determination of photoluminescence quantum yields of luminescent reporters JF - Analytical and bioanalytical chemistry N2 - A crucial variable for methodical performance evaluation and comparison of luminescent reporters is the photoluminescence quantum yield (Φ pl). This quantity, defined as the number of emitted photons per number of absorbed photons, is the direct measure of the efficiency of the conversion of absorbed photons into emitted light for small organic dyes, fluorescent proteins, metal–ligand complexes, metal clusters, polymeric nanoparticles, and semiconductor and up-conversion nanocrystals. Φ pl determines the sensitivity for the detection of a specific analyte from the chromophore perspective, together with its molar-absorption coefficient at the excitation wavelength. In this review we discuss different optical and photothermal methods for measuring Φ pl of transparent and scattering systems for the most common classes of luminescent reporters, and critically evaluate their potential and limitations. In addition, reporter-specific effects and sources of uncertainty are addressed. The ultimate objective is to provide users of fluorescence techniques with validated tools for the determination of Φ pl, including a series of Φ pl standards for the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared regions, and to enable better judgment of the reliability of literature data. KW - Fluorescence KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Organic dye KW - Nanoparticle KW - Quantum dot KW - Up-conversion nanocrystal KW - Optical probe KW - Standard KW - Quality assurance KW - Integrating sphere spectroscopy KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Thermal lensing KW - Nanocavity PY - 2015 DO - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00216-014-8130-z SN - 1618-2642 SN - 1618-2650 VL - 407 IS - 1 SP - 59 EP - 78 PB - Springer CY - Berlin AN - OPUS4-32406 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - González, M.G. A1 - Niessner, R. A1 - Panne, Ulrich A1 - Haisch, C. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Determination of the absolute fluorescence quantum yield of rhodamine 6G with optical and photoacoustic methods - providing the basis for fluorescence quantum yield standards JF - Talanta N2 - To establish the methodical basis for the development and certification of fluorescence quantum yield standards, we determined the fluorescence quantum yield Φf of rhodamine 6G (R6G) with two absolute methods with complementary measurement principles, here optical spectroscopy using an integrating sphere setup and pulsed laser photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS). For the assessment of aggregation- and reabsorption-induced distortions of measured fluorescence quantum yields and procedures for the reliable consideration of such effects, this systematic comparison was performed in ethanol and in water employing different concentrations of R6G. In addition, the relative and absolute fluorescence quantum yields of these solutions were obtained with a calibrated spectrofluorometer and a commercialized integrating sphere setup. Based upon this systematic comparison, experimental advantages and systematic sources of variation were identified for both methods. KW - Fluorescence KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photoacoustic spectroscopy KW - Absolute quantum yield KW - Integrating sphere KW - Rhodamine 6G KW - Aggregation KW - Reabsorption PY - 2012 DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.talanta.2011.12.051 SN - 0039-9140 VL - 90 SP - 30 EP - 37 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam AN - OPUS4-25710 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Behnke, Thomas A1 - Gienger, J. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Efficiency scale for scatteringluminescent particles linkedto fundamental and measurablespectroscopic properties JF - Scientific Reports N2 - Comparing the performance of molecular and nanoscale luminophores and luminescent microand nanoparticles and estimating achievable signal amplitudes and limits of detection requires a standardizable intensity scale. This initiated the development of the relative MESF (number of molecules of equivalent soluble fluorochromes) and ERF (equivalent reference fluorophores) scales for flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy. Both intensity scales rely on fluorescence intensity values assigned to fluorescent calibration beads by an intensity comparison to spectrally closely matching fluorophore solutions of known concentration using a spectrofluorometer. Alternatively, the luminophore or bead brightness (B) can be determined that equals the product of the absorption cross section (σa) at the excitation wavelength (σa(λex)) and the photoluminescence quantum yield (Φpl). Thereby, an absolute scale based on fundamental and measurable spectroscopic properties can be realized which is independent of particle size, material, and luminophore staining or labeling density and considers the sensitivity of the optical properties of luminophores to their environment. Aiming for establishing such a brightness scale for light-scattering dispersions of luminescent particles with sizes exceeding a few ten nanometers, we demonstrate how the brightness of quasi-monodisperse 25 nm, 100 nm, and 1 μm sized polystyrene particles (PSP), loaded with two different dyes in varying concentrations, can be obtained with a single custom-designed integrating sphere setup that enables the absolute determination of Φpl and transmittance and diffuse reflectance measurements. The resulting Φpl, σa(λex), imaginary parts of the refractive index, and calculated B values of these samples are given in dependence of the number of incorporated dye molecule per particle. Finally, a unitless luminescence efficiency (LE) is defined allowing for the direct comparison of luminescence efficiencies of particles with different sizes. KW - Brightness KW - Quantum yield KW - Cross section KW - Lluminescence PY - 2023 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-573680 DO - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32933-6 VL - 13 IS - 1 SP - 14 PB - Nature AN - OPUS4-57368 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dhamo, Lorena A1 - Carulli, F. A1 - Nickl, Philip A1 - Wegner, Karl David A1 - Hodoroaba, Vasile-Dan A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Brovelli, S. A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute T1 - Efficient luminescent solar concentrators based on environmentally friendly Cd-free ternary AIS/ZnS quantum dots JF - Advanced optical materials N2 - Luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) allow to obtain renewable energy from building integrated photovoltaic systems. As promising efficient and long-term stable LSC fluorophores semiconductor nanocrystals like Quantum dots (QDs) with size and composition tunable optoelectronic properties have recently emerged. The most popular II/VI or IV/VI semiconductor QDs contain, however, potentially hazardous cadmium or lead ions, which is a bottleneck for commercial applications. A simple aqueous based, microwaveassisted synthesis for environmentally friendly and highly emissive AgInS2/ ZnS QDs is developed using 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) and glutathione (GSH) and their incorporation into polylaurylmethacrylate (PLMA) polymer slabs integrable in LSC devices (10.4 × 10.4 × 0.2 cm3, G = 12.98). With this simple approach, optical power efficiencies (OPE) of 3.8% and 3.6% and optical quantum efficiencies (OQE) of 24.1% and 27.4% are obtained, which are among the highest values yet reported. KW - Solar energy KW - Solar concentrator KW - Quantum dots KW - Advanced material KW - Quantum yield PY - 2021 UR - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:b43-529735 DO - https://doi.org/10.1002/adom.202100587 SN - 2195-1071 SN - 0935-9648 VL - 9 IS - 17 SP - 1 EP - 8 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim AN - OPUS4-52973 LA - eng AD - Bundesanstalt fuer Materialforschung und -pruefung (BAM), Berlin, Germany ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tan, M. A1 - Monks, Melissa-Jane A1 - Huang, D. A1 - Meng, Y. A1 - Chen, X. A1 - Zhou, Y A1 - Lom, S.-F. A1 - Würth, Christian A1 - Resch-Genger, Ute A1 - Chen, G. T1 - Efficient sub-15 nm cubic-phase core/Shell upconversion nanoparticles as reporters for ensemble and single particle studies† JF - Royal Society of Chemistry N2 - Single particle imaging of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) has typically been realized using hexagonal (β) phase lanthanide-doped sodium yttrium fluoride (NaYF4) materials, the upconversion luminescence (UCL) of which saturates at power densities (P) of several hundred W cm−2 under 980 nm nearinfrared (NIR) excitation. Cubic (α) phase UCNPs have been mostly neglected because of their commonly observed lower UCL efficiency at comparable P in ensemble level studies. Here, we describe a set of sub-15 nm ytterbium-enriched α-NaYbF4:Er3+@CaF2 core/shell UCNPs doped with varying Er3+ concentrations (5–25%), studied over a wide P range of ∼8–105 W cm−2, which emit intense UCL even at a low P of 10 W cm−2 and also saturate at relatively low P. The highest upconversion quantum yield (ΦUC) and the highest particle brightness were obtained for an Er3+ dopant concentration of 12%, reaching the highest ΦUC of 0.77% at a saturation power density (Psat) of 110 W cm−2. These 12%Er3+-doped core/shell UCNPs were also the brightest UCNPs among this series under microscopic conditions at high P of ∼102–105 W cm−2 as demonstrated by imaging studies at the single particle level. Our results underline the potential applicability of the described sub-15 nm cubic-phase core/shell UCNPs for ensemble- and single particle- level bioimaging. KW - Nano KW - Nanomaterial KW - Upconversion nanoparticle KW - Lanthanide KW - Photoluminescence KW - Quantum yield KW - Photophysics KW - Lifetime KW - Sensor KW - Surface chemistry KW - Single particle KW - Brightness PY - 2020 DO - https://doi.org/10.1039/d0nr02172e VL - 12 IS - 19 SP - 10592 EP - 10599 PB - Nanoscale AN - OPUS4-50908 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 T2 - Proceeding 48th Photovoltaic Specialists Conference (PVSC) 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 -