Issue 33, 2017

Emission color tuning of core/shell upconversion nanoparticles through modulation of laser power or temperature

Abstract

Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are an excellent choice to construct security features against counterfeiting, owing to their unique NIR-to-VIS upconversion luminescence (UCL) characteristics. However, the application of upconversion materials is limited, due to their single and invariant emission colors. Herein, the temperature-dependent UCL properties of NaGdF4:Yb/Ho (or Tm) UCNPs in the solid state have been investigated. An anomalous UCL enhancement at higher temperatures has been demonstrated for these small-sized (<10 nm) UCNPs and the underlying mechanism is discussed herein. Meanwhile, effective UCL with tunable multicolor emissions has been realized by the rational incorporation of Ho3+ and Tm3+ emitters into a single nanostructure. The emission colors of these Ho/Tm co-doped Na(Gd,Yb)F4 UCNPs can be tuned by changing the laser power or temperature, due to the different spectral sensitivities of the Tm3+ and Ho3+ emitters to the excitation power density and temperature. The power- and temperature-responsive color shifts of these Ho/Tm co-doped UCNPs are favorable for immediate recognition by the naked eye, but are hard to copy, offering the possibility of designing more secure anti-counterfeiting patterns.

Graphical abstract: Emission color tuning of core/shell upconversion nanoparticles through modulation of laser power or temperature

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
24 May 2017
Accepted
30 Jul 2017
First published
01 Aug 2017

Nanoscale, 2017,9, 12132-12141

Emission color tuning of core/shell upconversion nanoparticles through modulation of laser power or temperature

Q. Shao, G. Zhang, L. Ouyang, Y. Hu, Y. Dong and J. Jiang, Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 12132 DOI: 10.1039/C7NR03682E

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