Issue 6, 2015

Photon upconversion in core–shell nanoparticles

Abstract

Photon upconversion generally results from a series of successive electronic transitions within complex energy levels of lanthanide ions that are embedded in the lattice of a crystalline solid. In conventional lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles, the dopant ions homogeneously distributed in the host lattice are readily accessible to surface quenchers and lose their excitation energy, giving rise to weak and susceptible emissions. Therefore, present studies on upconversion are mainly focused on core–shell nanoparticles comprising spatially confined dopant ions. By doping upconverting lanthanide ions in the interior of a core–shell nanoparticle, the upconversion emission can be substantially enhanced, and the optical integrity of the nanoparticles can be largely preserved. Optically active shells are also frequently employed to impart multiple functionalities to upconversion nanoparticles. Intriguingly, the core–shell design introduces the possibility of constructing novel upconversion nanoparticles by exploiting the energy exchange interactions across the core–shell interface. In this tutorial review, we highlight recent advances in the development of upconversion core–shell nanoparticles, with particular emphasis on the emerging strategies for regulating the interplay of dopant interactions through core–shell nanostructural engineering that leads to unprecedented upconversion properties. The improved control over photon energy conversion will open up new opportunities for biological and energy applications.

Graphical abstract: Photon upconversion in core–shell nanoparticles

Article information

Article type
Tutorial Review
Submitted
03 May 2014
First published
24 Jul 2014

Chem. Soc. Rev., 2015,44, 1318-1330

Author version available

Photon upconversion in core–shell nanoparticles

X. Chen, D. Peng, Q. Ju and F. Wang, Chem. Soc. Rev., 2015, 44, 1318 DOI: 10.1039/C4CS00151F

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements