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The NaYF4: Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4@β-CD upconversion nanoparticles were successfully prepared by the solvothermal method, and the samples were pure hexagonal phase with good crystallinity and homogeneous size, asevidenced by XRD and TEM analysis. The FT-IR analysis shows that β-CD is successfully encapsulated on the surface of NaYF4: Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4 nanoparticles. The fluorescence intensity 3and lifetime were significantly increased after coating the inert layer on the surface of core nanoparticles. After further surface modification of β-CD, the fluorescence intensity and fluorescence lifetime were reduced, but the overall fluorescence was stronger. Temperature measurements using the fluorescence intensity ratio technique were found to have relatively low reliability and absolute sensitivity for temperature measurements using thermally coupled energy levels. However, the reliability of temperature measurements using non-thermally coupled energy levels is significantly higher and the absolute sensitivity is much higher than for measurements at thermally coupled levels. Since the maximum absolute sensitivity, maximum relative sensitivity and minimum temperature resolution are determined to be 0.1179 K-1, 2.19 %K 1 and 0.00019 K, respectively, NaYF4: Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4@β-CD upconversion nanoparticles are expected to be widely used in the biomedical field due to their feasibility, reliability, non-toxicity and harmlessness.
The core−shell NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4:Yb3+ upconversion nanoparticles were successfully prepared by a solvothermal method, and a layer of mesoporous silica (mSiO2) was successfully coated on the periphery of the core−shell nanoparticles to transform their surface from lipophilic to hydrophilic, further expanding their applications in biological tissues. The physical phase, morphology, structure, and fluorescence properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ζ potential analysis, and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that the material has a hexagonal structure with good hydrophilicity and emits intense fluorescence under 980 nm pump laser excitation. The non-contact temperature sensing performance of nanoparticles was evaluated by analyzing the upconversion fluorescence of Tm3+ (1G4 → 3F4 and 3F3 → 3H6) in the temperature range of 284−344 K. The absolute and relative sensitivities were found to be 0.0067 K−1 and 1.08 % K−1, respectively, with high-temperature measurement reliability and good temperature cycling performance. More importantly, its temperature measurement in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution is accurate. In addition, the temperature of the cells can be increased by adjusting the laser power density and laser irradiation time. Therefore, an optical temperature sensing platform was built to realize the application of real-time monitoring of cancer cell temperature and the dual function of photothermal therapy.
A solvothermal method was used to prepare a series of Yb3+/Tm3+/Ca2+ co-doped NaYF4 nanoparticles with different Ca2+ contents. Strong upconversion blue fluorescence could be observed under 980 nm laser excitation of the samples. The effect of different Ca2+ contents on the luminescence intensity was investigated, and it was found that the UV-vis upconversion luminescence increased and then decreased with an increasing Ca2+ concentration during the increase of the Ca2+ content from 0 mol% to 25 mol%, reaching the strongest fluorescence at 15 mol%, which was up to about 28 times stronger than that without Ca2+ doping. Furthermore, the mechanism was investigated, and it was found that the doping of Ca2+ disrupted the symmetry of the crystal field, resulting in a significant enhancement of the overall fluorescence. Applied to fluorescence intensity ratio thermometry, the absolute and relative sensitivities are as high as 0.0418 K−1 and 2.31% K−1, respectively, with a minimum temperature resolution of 0.0129 K.
Sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion (sTTA-UC) mainly relies on precious metal complexes thanks to their high intersystem crossing (ISC) efficiencies, excited state energies, and lifetimes, while complexes of abundant first-row transition metals were only rarely utilized and with often moderate UC quantum yields. [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ (bpmp = 2,6-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)pyridine) containing earth-abundant chromium possesses an absorption band suitable for green light excitation, a doublet excited state energy matching the triplet energy of 9,10-diphenyl anthracene (DPA), a close to millisecond excited state lifetime, and high photostability. Combined ISC and doublet-triplet energy transfer from excited [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ to DPA gives 3DPA with close-to-unity quantum yield. TTA of 3DPA furnishes greento-blue UC with a quantum yield of 12.0 % (close to the theoretical maximum). Sterically less-hindered anthracenes undergo a [4+4] cycloaddition with [Cr(bpmp)2]3+ and green light.
A series of NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+@NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanoparticles doped with Tm3+ and Er3+ were successfully prepared by the solvothermal method. Under 980 nm laser excitation, intense upconversion emission peaks of Tm3+ and Er3+ were observed for all samples. By doping Tm3+ and Er3+ with core–shell partitioning, not only a significant increase in fluorescence intensity could be achieved, but also simultaneous temperature measurements on multiple thermocouple energy levels could be realised. In addition, the temperature sensing performance of different thermocouple energy levels was also investigated, and it was found that the 3 F3 → 3 H6 and 1 G4 → 3 F4 thermocouple energy level pairs of Tm3+ were the best, with maximum absolute sensitivity and maximum relative sensitivity of up to 0.0250 K−1 and 2.155% K−1 respectively, higher than the sensitivity of other thermocouple energy levels. It has a temperature resolution of less than 0.0139 K, which is lower than that of most materials available today. By using this material as a probe to build a fiber optic temperature sensor platform, it was found to have reliable temperature measurement performance.
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.
Lanthanide-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) like hexagonal 𝛽-NaYF4 UCNPs doped with Yb3+ and Er3+, which efficiently convert 976 nm light to ultraviolet, visible, and near infrared photons, offer new strategies for luminescence-based sensing, barcoding, and Imaging. Their upconversion (UC) luminescence (UCL) features like UCL intensity, quantum yield, relative spectral distribution / UCL luminescence color, and luminescence decay kinetics are, however, strongly influenced by particle size, dopant ion concentration, particle architecture, surface chemistry including presence and thickness of surface passivation and shielding shells, microenvironment/presence of quenchers with high energy vibrations, and excitation power density (P).
We present here a comprehensive study of the influence of excitation power density on the UCL features of different types of UCNPs, focusing on Yb3+ and Er3+ co-doped NaYF4 core-only and core-shell nanostructures with different sizes and doping ion concentration, which underlines the importance of P-dependent optimum dopant concentrations for UCNP performance and the potential of P-tuning of UCL.
The use of inorganic lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) in bioimaging and cellular studies requires biocompatible particles. One possible cause of UCNP toxicity is the release of potentially harmful fluoride and lanthanide ions as revealed by dilution studies in aqueous environments, particularly under high dilution conditions. To address this issue, suitable surface coatings preventing such effects in combination with fast screening methods suited for online monitoring and in situ analyses are desired.
Here we present systematic studies of differently sized β-NaYF4:Yb,Er UCNP stabilized with different surface coatings and hydrophilic ligands varying in binding strength to the particle surface in various aqueous environments at different temperatures and UCNP concentrations. The concentration of the fluoride and lanthanide ions released upon particle dissolution was quantified electrochemically with a fluoride ion-sensitive electrode and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and monitored fluorometrically, thereby exploiting the sensitivity of the upconversion luminescence to changes in size and surface chemistry. Moreover, changes in surface chemistry were determined with X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Based upon our results, we could derive optimum screening parameters for UCNP stability studies and determine conditions and coating procedures and ligands for enhancing UCNP stability in aqueous environments.
We demonstrate the potential of time-resolved luminescence spectroscopy for the straightforward assessment and in situ monitoring of the stability of upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs). Therefore, we prepared hexagonal NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ UCNPs with various coatings with a focus on phosphonate ligands of different valency, using different ligand exchange procedures, and studied their dissolution behaviour in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) dispersions at 20 °C and 37 °C with various analytical methods. The amount of the released UCNPs constituting fluoride ions was quantified by potentiometry using a Fluoride ion-sensitive electrode and particle disintegration was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy studies of the differently aged UCNPs. In parallel, the luminescence features of the UCNPs were measured with special emphasis on the lifetime of the sensitizer emission to demonstrate its suitability as Screening parameter for UCNP stability and changes in particle composition. The excellent correlation between the changes in luminescence lifetime and fluoride concentration highlights the potential of our luminescence lifetime method for UCNP stability screening and thereby indirect monitoring of the release of potentially hazardous fluoride ions during uptake and dissolution in biological systems. Additionally, the developed in situ optical method was used to distinguish the dissolution dynamics of differently sized and differently coated UCNPs.
Photonen-Aufkonvertierung in hetero-oligonuklearen, Metallkomplex-Architekturen mit organischen Liganden ist ein interessantes, aber bisher selten beobachtetes Phänomen, trotz des großen Potentials sowohl aus Sicht der Grundlagenforschung als auch aus der Anwendungsperspektive. Nun wurde ein neues photonisches Material aus molekularen Chrom(III)- und Ytterbium(III)-Komplexionen entwickelt.
Dieses zeigt im Festkörper bei Raumtemperatur abhängig von der Anregungsleistungsdichte nach Anregung des 2F7/2! 2F5/2-3berganges des Ytterbiums bei ca. 980 nm eine kooperative Sensibilisierung der Chrom(III)-zentrierten 2E/2T1-Phosphoreszenz bei ca. 775 nm. Der Aufkonvertierungsprozess ist unempfindlich gegenüber Luftsauerstoff und kann in Gegenwart von Wassermolekülen im Kristallgitter beobachtet werden.
We studied the dissolution behavior of β NaYF4:Yb(20%), Er(2%) UCNP of two different sizes in biologically relevant media i.e., water (neutral pH), phosphate buffered saline (PBS), and Dulbecco’s modified Eagle medium (DMEM) at different temperatures and particle concentrations. Special emphasis was dedicated to assess the influence of different surface functionalizations, particularly the potential of mesoporous and microporous silica shells of different thicknesses for UCNP stabilization and protection. Dissolution was quantified electrochemically using a fluoride ion selective electrode (ISE) and by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). In addition, dissolution was monitored fluorometrically. These experiments revealed that a thick microporous silica shell drastically decreased dissolution. Our results also underline the critical influence of the chemical composition of the aqueous environment on UCNP dissolution. In DMEM, we observed the formation of a layer of adsorbed molecules on the UCNP surface that protected the UCNP from dissolution and enhanced their fluorescence. Examination of this layer by X ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and mass spectrometry (MS) suggested that mainly phenylalanine, lysine, and glucose are adsorbed from DMEM. These findings should be considered in the future for cellular toxicity studies with UCNP and other nanoparticles and the design of new biocompatible surface coatings.
Large-scale nanoimprinted metasurfaces based on silicon photonic crystal slabs were produced and coated with a NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) layer. UCNPs on these metasurfaces yield a more than 500-fold enhanced upconversion emission compared to UCNPs on planar surfaces. It is also demonstrated how the optical response of the UCNPs can be used to estimate the local field energy in the coating layer. Optical simulations using the finite element method validate the experimental results and the calculated spatial three-dimensional field Energy distribution helps us to understand the emission enhancement mechanism of the UCNPs closely attached to the metasurface. In addition, we analyzed the spectral shifts of the resonances for uncoated and coated metasurfaces and metasurfaces submerged in water to enable a prediction of the optimum layer thicknesses for different excitation wavelengths, paving the way to applications such as electromagnetic field sensors or bioassays.
Upconversion photoluminescence in hetero-oligonuclear metal complex architectures featuring organic ligands is an interesting but still rarely observed phenomenon, despite its great potential from a basic research and application perspective. In this context, a new photonic material consisting of molecular chromium(III) and ytterbium(III) complex Ions was developed that exhibits excitation-power density-dependent cooperative sensitization of the chromium-centered 2E/2T1 phosphorescence at approximately 775 nm after excitation of the ytterbium band 2F7/2!2F5/2 at approximately 980 nm in the solid state at ambient temperature. The upconversion process is insensitive to atmospheric oxygen and can be observed in the presence of water molecules in the crystal lattice.
A systematic study of the luminescence properties of monodisperse β-NaYF4: 20% Yb3+, 2% Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with sizes ranging from 12–43 nm is presented utilizing steady-state and time-resolved fluorometry.
Special emphasis was dedicated to the absolute quantification of size- and environment-induced quenching of upconversion luminescence (UCL) by highenergy O–H and C–H vibrations from solvent and ligand molecules at different excitation power densities (P). In this context, the still-debated Population pathways of the 4F9/2 energy level of Er3+ were examined. Our results highlight the potential of particle size and P value for color tuning based on the pronounced near-infrared emission of 12 nm UCNPs, which outweighs the red Er3+ emission under “strongly quenched” conditions and accounts for over 50% of total UCL in water. Because current rate equation models do not include such emissions, the suitability of these models for accurately simulating all (de)population pathways of small UCNPs must be critically assessed. Furthermore, we postulate population pathways for the 4F9/2 energy level of Er3+, which correlate with the size-, environment-, and P-dependent quenching states of the higher Er3+ energy levels.
A systematic study of the luminescence properties of monodisperse β-NaYF4: 20% Yb3+, 2% Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with sizes ranging from 12–43 nm is presented utilizing steady-state and time-resolved fluorometry.
Special emphasis was dedicated to the absolute quantification of size- and environment-induced quenching of upconversion luminescence (UCL) by highenergy O–H and C–H vibrations from solvent and ligand molecules at different excitation power densities (P). In this context, the still-debated Population pathways of the 4F9/2 energy level of Er3+ were examined. Our results Highlight the potential of particle size and P value for color tuning based on the pronounced near-infrared emission of 12 nm UCNPs, which outweighs the red Er3+ emission under “strongly quenched” conditions and accounts for over 50% of total UCL in water. Because current rate equation models do not include such emissions, the suitability of these models for accurately simulating all (de)population pathways of small UCNPs must be critically assessed. Furthermore, we postulate population pathways for the 4F9/2 energy level of Er3+, which correlate with the size-, environment-, and P-dependent quenching states of the higher Er3+ energy levels.
Biophotonics and analytics - Photoluminescence properties of nanocrystals and surface group analysis
(2018)
Correlating the photoluminescence (PL) properties of nanomaterials like semiconductor nanocrystals (QDs) and upconversion nanocrystals (UCNPs) assessed in ensemble studies and at the single particle level and studying their surface chemistry is increasingly relevant for applications of these nanomaterials in the life and material sciences. Here we present a comparison of the spectroscopic properties of ensembles and single nanocrystalline emitters and simple methods for the quantification of functional groups and ligands on particle surfaces. The overall goal of this study was to derive particle architectures and surface chemistries well suited for spectroscopic and microscopic applications.
Common approaches to improve the optical properties of semiconductor quantum dots and lanthanide doped nanophosphors present core/shell structures as radiationless deactivation at the particle surface is usually the main energy loss mechanism. This has led to increasingly sophisticated particle architectures using multishell systems with shells of different chemical composition and thickness and initiated an increasing number of quantitative spectroscopic studies focusing on the key performance parameter photoluminescence quantum yield to identify optimum particle structures. This is particularly challenging in the long wavelength region > 1000 nm and for nonlinear emitters like upconversion nanocrystals. Here, we present suitable absolute methods to quantify the photoluminescence of these different emitters in the vis/NIR/IR and as function of excitation power density and underline the impact of such measurements on a profound mechanistic understanding of the nonradiative deactivation pathways in semiconductor and upconversion nanocrystals of different size and particle architecture in different environments.
Upconversion core/shell nanocrystals with different mean sizes ranging from 15 to 45 nm were prepared via a modified synthesis procedure based on anhydrous rare‐earth acetates. All particles consist of a core of NaYF4:Yb,Er, doped with 18 % Yb3+ and 2 % Er3+, and an inert shell of NaYF4, with the shell thickness being equal to the radius of the core particle. Absolute measurements of the photoluminescence quantum yield at a series of different excitation power densities show that the quantum yield of 45 nm core/shell particles is already very close to the quantum yield of microcrystalline upconversion phosphor powder. Smaller core/shell particles prepared by the same method show only a moderate decrease in quantum yield. The quantum yield of 15 nm core/shell particles, for instance, is reduced by a factor of three compared to the bulk upconversion phosphor at high power densities (100 W cm−2) and by approximately a factor of 10 at low power densities (1 W cm−2).
We synthesized and characterized a set of ultrasmall hexagonal-phase NaGdF4: 20% Yb3+, 2% Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles with core diameters of 3.7 ± 0.5 nm. In order to assess passivation effects and the influence of possible core−shell intermixing and to identify optimum particle structures for combined imaging in the visible and near-infrared (vis−NIR: 410−850 nm) and short-wave infrared (SWIR: 1520 nm), NaYF4 shells of varying thicknesses (monolayer to 10 nm) were introduced and the influence of this parameter on the upconversion and downshifting photoluminescence of these particles was studied at different excitation power densities. This included excitation power-dependent emission spectra, slope factors, quantum yields, and excited state decay kinetics. These measurements revealed enhancement factors of the upconversion quantum yield of >10 000 in the low power region and an excitation power density-independent quantum yield of the downshifted emission at 1520 nm between 0.1 and 14%. The optimized shell thickness for combined vis and SWIR imaging was identified as 5 nm. Moreover, lifetimes and quantum yields can be continuously tuned by shell thickness which can be exploited for lifetime multiplexing and encoding. The fact that we did not observe a saturation of the upconversion quantum yield or the excited state decay kinetics with increasing shell thickness is ascribed to a strong intermixing of the active core with the inert shell during the shelling procedure. This indicates the potential of spectroscopic tools to detect cation intermixing.