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The presentation gave an overview of the topic, the aims and the task allocation of the M-ERA.NET founded project named “Nanohype”.
In this project four research teams working hand in hand on computational modeling, synthesis and experimental validation to design novel metal-shelled Upconversion-NP combining plasmonic interactions.
As Ph.D. student at the BAM I am responsible for the optical characterization (measurements of lifetimes, Quantum Yields and PL emissions ) of these promising novel systems.
The presentation focuses on the current state of the optical spectroscopic studies on plasmon enhanced upconversion luminescent processes of silica-metal core-shell nanocomposites. A general introduction of the upconversion process, the theoretical basis of plasmonic enhancement, the theoretical requirements in regard to NP architecture for plasmon enhanced UC will be outlined. The first proof-of-concept measurements show the difficulty in realization the theoretical measurement parameters in laboratory conditions and underline the need for shifting the experiments to single particle level.“
Lanthanide doped photon upconverting nanophosphors (UCNPs) have the unique capability to produce narrow band, multi-color emission in the UV/vis/NIR upon multiphotonic absorption of infrared light, which makes them promising reporters for diagnostic, bioanalytical, and biological applications. This minimizes background signals, which normally occur due to autofluorescence from auxochromes, in biological matrices and enables deep penetration depths in biological applications. Moreover, UCNPs show long luminescence lifetimes in the μs range favorable for time gated emission in conjunction with a high photostability and chemical inertness and they do not blink. One of the most efficient upconversion (UC) phosphors for conversion of 976 nm to 655 nm and 545 nm light presents the hexagonal NaYF4-host crystal doped with 20 % Yb3+ used as sensitizer to absorb infrared light and 2 % Er3+ acting as activator mainly responsible for light emission. The high transparency in the relevant spectral windows of this host together with its low phonon frequencies ensure relatively high luminescence efficiencies.
Although UCNPs are ideal candidates for many chemical and biological sensing and imaging applications, compared to other well-known chromophores like organic dyes or QDs, they suffer from a comparatively low brightness due to the low absorption cross sections of the parity forbidden f-f-transitions and low photoluminescence quantum yields (QYUC) particularly in the case of small nanoparticles with sizes of < 50 nm. The rational design of more efficient UCNPs requires an improved understanding of the nonradiative decay pathways in these materials that are influenced by particle architecture including dopant ion concentration and homogeneity of dopant distribution within UCNPs, size/surface-to-volume ratio, surface chemistry, and microenvironment. A promising approach to overcome the low efficiency of UCNPs is to use plasmonic interactions between a noble metal (Ag or Au) structure in the proximity of UCNPs and the incident light. This interaction leads to a modification of the spectroscopic properties due
to local field enhancements and can involve an increase of the photoluminescence. In this respect, we study the interactions of UCNPs with metal structures (clusters and shells) by varying shape and size. Here, first results derived from integrating sphere spectroscopy and time-resolved fluorescence measurements are presented.
Safety is a key parameter for the design and construction of buildings. The most widely used construction material to date is concrete that consists of about 15-20 wt.-% cement, which is responsible for the main concrete properties, i.e., strength and durability. Despite many standards regulating the quality of cement, at present, there exists no viable method to track the cement life cycle “from cradle to grave”. This led to an increasing interest in simple and robust methods for studying the processes and changes occurring during the life cycle of cement. In this context, we explored the applicability of fluorescence measurements which can be performed with relatively inexpensive and miniaturized instrumentation yet require robust optical probes which survive the harsh cement environment. Therefore, we developed a platform of lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), consisting of a NaYF4 matrix doped with Yb3+ and Er3+ with sizes between 20 nm and 55 nm, which show characteristic multi-color emission patterns, composed of narrow bands of varying intensity in the ultraviolet, visible, near-infrared, and short-wave spectral region and examined their potential for cement probing and the non-invasive monitoring of the hydration processes occurring during cement formation.
UCNPs of different size and chemical composition were synthesized via a thermal decomposition approach under inert conditions. The tailor-made design of different emission patterns was achieved by tuning particle size and morphology, material composition, and particle surface chemistry in upscaleable syntheses. For cement probing, different types of UCNPs were added to cement and the evolution of the UCNP emission pattern was used to probe in-situ changes of physico-chemical parameters in the cementitious environment during hydration, utilizing a simple and portable custom-designed optical setup. The observed changes in the UCNP emission patterns are characteristic for a given particle size, surface chemistry, and cement composition. In addition to fluorescence measurements, conventional isothermal heat flow calorimetry was used to study the influence of UCNP addition on cement hydration kinetics. Subsequently, both sets of measurements were correlated. Our results underline the potential of our optical approach ad UCNPs for the non-invasive probing of cementitious systems and cement hydration. This can be also exploited for cutting-edge applications of construction materials such as 3D concrete printing.
Hexagonal beta-NaYF₄ doped with 20 % Yb and 2 % Er is an efficient upconversion (UC) phosphor for the conversion of 976 nm to 845 nm, 655 nm and 540 nm light. The emission behavior of this material is strongly influenced by the particle size, surface chemistry, and microenvironment. Especially the design of nm-sized UC particles for bioanalytical applications requires reliable spectroscopic tools for the characterization of the optical properties of these materials like the UC quantum yield (QYUC) in aqueous media. The UC emission originates from multiphotonic absorption processes, rendering the QYUC excitation power density (P) dependent. The P-dependent absolute measurement of QYUC in aqueous media with an excitation wavelength of 976 nm presents a considerable challenge due to the low absorption coefficients of the UC materials and the absorption of water at this wavelength.
Here, we present the P-dependent QYUC of 21 nm, 26 nm and 31 nm-sized NaYF₄ UC particles dispersed in cyclohexane and aqueous solutions, in view of bioanalytical applications. To gain a better insight of the photonic nature of the upconversion mechanism and the quenching processes involved, the luminescence decay behavior as well as the P-dependent red-to-green luminescence intensity ratios and slope factors of the different emission bands are studied in both solvents. These results present an important step to the rational design of brighter upconversion nanoparticles.
Hexagonal NaYF4 doped with 20 % Yb3+ and 2 % Er3+ is an efficient upconversion (UC) phosphor for the conversion of 976 nm excitation light to emission at 845 nm, 800 nm, 655 nm, 540 nm and 410 nm light. The emission behavior of nanoparticles made from this material is strongly influenced by particle size, surface chemistry, and microenvironment. Furthermore their UC emission originates from multiphotonic absorption processes, rendering the resulting luminescence spectra and intensities excitation power density (P) dependent. Therefore the rational design of efficient nm-sized UC particles e.g., for applications in the material and life sciences requires reliable spectroscopic tools for the characterization of the optical properties of these materials like the excitation power density (P)-dependent UC quantum yield (QYUC) in dispersion, which presents a measure for the efficiency of the conversion of absorbed into emitted photons. Up to date the P-dependent absolute measurement of QYUC in aqueous media with an excitation wavelength of 976 nm presents a considerable challenge due to the low absorption coefficients of the UC materials and the absorption of water at this wavelength.
Obtaining high quality upconverting nanocrystals with only little crystal defects and hence, a high luminescence, affords a reliable synthesis route. Only this guarantees the reproducibility of the material and its spectroscopic properties required for future application. The fluorolytic sol-gel synthesis appears to be a convenient attempt, as this is a method with only few steps influencing the material properties, which can be well controlled.
Also creating bright upconverting nanocrystals requires a profound understanding of the interplay of photophysical processes like multiphoton absorption, radiative and non-radiative pathways, and energy transfer in the material.
Based on steady-state and time resolved luminescence measurements at different excitation power densities, the influence of the lanthanide doping ratio and synthesis parameters such as the annealing process on SrF2-nanocrystals obtained via the fluorolytic sol-gel synthesis was systematically studied.
Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing. The potential of UCNPs to serve as donors in Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) applications is intensely discussed, owing to their anti-Stokes shifted narrow emission bands, chemical inertness, photostability, and long luminescence lifetimes (> 100 μs). Since FRET is distance dependent, the diameter of the particles is expected to affect the FRET efficiency. In order to identify the ideal particle architecture for FRET-based applications, we performed a systematic spectroscopic study of the influence of the UCNP size on the energy transfer using the organic dyes rose bengal and sulforhodamine B acting as model FRET acceptors for the green upconversion emission. High-quality Yb,Er-doped UCNPs with precisely controlled diameters between 10 and 43 nm were prepared using a high temperature synthesis. The monodisperse, oleate-capped particles were directly modified with the organic dyes by a two-step ligand exchange procedure, resulting in the shortest possible donor-acceptor distance. Successful FRET was demonstrated through the simultaneous drastic reduction of the luminescence intensity and the lifetime of the respective upconversion emission. In contrast to intensity measurements, time-resolved studies on both donor and acceptor luminescence allowed for the elimination of dependencies on excitation power density and particle concentration and for the discrimination between inner filter effects and FRET. The maximum FRET efficiency was observed at a particle diameter around 21 nm, which was attributed to an increasing fraction of the total amount of Er3+ donors inside the UCNPs being within Förster distance. Smaller UCNP diameters did not further improve the FRET efficiency, demonstrating the growing contribution of opposing effects, like the competition of non-radiative surface deactivation, at larger surface-to-volume ratios. This comprehensive understanding of energy transfer processes at the surface of UCNPs is essential for the rational design of upconversion FRET platforms for applications in sensing, imaging, and theranostics with improved sensitivity, reliability and comparability. The energy transfer can also be utilized to shift the luminescence emission by the choice of the organic dye in order to explore applications that require specific emission wavelengths due to interfering substances, while still making use of the advantages of near-infrared excitation.
- UCNPs were succesfully synthesized and characterized
- Various stages of UCNP growth were tracked using different
analytical methods including real time in-situ & time-resolved
luminescence spectroscopy, SAXS and TEM measurements
- Additional size determination will be performed using inductively
coupled plasma - mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)