Themed collection Singlet fission and photon upconversion
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Lanthanide upconversion luminescence at the nanoscale: fundamentals and optical properties
Upconversion photoluminescence is a nonlinear effect where multiple lower energy excitation photons produce higher energy emission photons.
Nanoscale, 2016,8, 13099-13130
https://doi.org/10.1039/C5NR08477F
Video-rate upconversion display from optimized lanthanide ion doped upconversion nanoparticles
A method for video-rate display with optimized single UCNP brightness by integrating the full emission intensity over excitation time and lifetime.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 18595-18599
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR03076G
Optimising FRET-efficiency of Nd3+-sensitised upconversion nanocomposites by shortening the emitter–photosensitizer distance
Nanocomposite NaYF4:Nd,Yb@Yb@Yb,Er@Y with Nd3+ in the core and Er3+ in the shell to shorten the emitter (Er3+)–photosensitizer distance to achieve better Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) for better-performing photo-nanotheranostic materials.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 8742-8749
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR01821J
Single-photon upconversion in 6-pentaceneone crystal from bulk to ultrathin flakes
Phonon-assisted single-photon upconversion was first discovered in a new 6-pentaceneone crystal, which can be mechanically exfoliated layer by layer.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 6227-6232
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR00306A
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Controlling the non-linear emission of upconversion nanoparticles to enhance super-resolution imaging performance
Convenient design of fully Yb-based upconversion nanoparticles enables control of their luminescence characteristics and enhances super-resolution imaging performance.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 20347-20355
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR04809G
Excitation efficiency determines the upconversion luminescence intensity of β-NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+ nanoparticles in magnetic fields up to 70 T
We resolve a long standing discrepancy between various reports on the effect of the magnetic field on up-converted luminescence.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 20300-20307
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR04252H
Spectral characterization of LiYbF4 upconverting nanoparticles
In light of recent developments on Yb3+-based upconverting rare-earth nanoparticles (RENPs), we have systematically explored the spectral features of LiYbF4:RE3+/LiYF4 core/shell RENPs doped with various amounts of Tm3+, Er3+, or Ho3+.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 17545-17554
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR04357E
Photon upconversion-assisted dual-band luminescence solar concentrators coupled with perovskite solar cells for highly efficient semi-transparent photovoltaic systems
A photovoltaic system that combines photon upconversion-assisted luminescence solar concentrators and perovskite solar cells is demonstrated.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 12426-12431
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR02106G
Surface design of photon-upconversion nanoparticles for high-contrast immunocytochemistry
Streptavidin-PEG-neridronate-UCNP nanoconjugates enable the specific detection of tumor markers on the surface of cancer cells with outstanding signal-to-background ratio.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 8303-8313
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR10568A
Five-photon absorption upconversion lasing from on-chip whispering gallery mode
We demonstrated for the first time low-threshold whispering-gallery mode upconversion lasing through five-photon absorption enhanced by on-chip microcavities at room temperature.
Nanoscale, 2020,12, 6130-6136
https://doi.org/10.1039/D0NR00326C
Light-harvesting porphyrazines to enable intramolecular singlet fission
Quantitative intramolecular FRET from a porphyrazine to pentacene enhances singlet fission with triplet quantum yields up to 200% ± 20% in benzonitrile.
Nanoscale, 2019,11, 22286-22292
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR08161E
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Microlens array enhanced upconversion luminescence at low excitation irradiance
Microlens arrays are applied as spatial light modulators to manipulate the distribution of excitation light fields in order to overcome the high excitation-intensity threshold of upconversion nanoparticles, taking advantage of their nonlinear response to excitation irradiance.
Nanoscale, 2019,11, 14070-14078
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR03105G
Exceptional modulation of upconversion and downconversion near-infrared luminescence in Tm/Yb-codoped ferroelectric nanocomposite by nanoscale engineering
Exceptional enhancement in both upconversion and downconversion near-infrared emission has been realized in the developed ferroelectric photonic nanocomposite.
Nanoscale, 2019,11, 11642-11648
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR02532D
The role of an inert shell in improving energy utilization in lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles
Coating with an inert shell is considered an efficient approach for enhancing the emission and improving the luminescence quantum yield of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles.
Nanoscale, 2019,11, 10852-10858
https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR03205C
Singlet fission in self-assembled PDI nanocrystals
Upon photoexcitation, self-assembled PDI nanocrystals (S1S0) in the form of rods of 70 nm width and 1 μm length are subject to a symmetry breaking charge separation (SBCS) as the first step in the singlet fission (SF) sequence.
Nanoscale, 2018,10, 20147-20154
https://doi.org/10.1039/C8NR04155E
Thermoplasmonic enhancement of upconversion in small-size doped NaGd(Y)F4 nanoparticles coupled to gold nanostars
Feeling the plasmonic heat: the photothermal effect in gold nanostars enhances the emission intensity of small-size upconverting nanocrystals.
Nanoscale, 2018,10, 14687-14696
https://doi.org/10.1039/C8NR01639A
Unravelling the energy transfer of Er3+-self-sensitized upconversion in Er3+–Yb3+–Er3+ clustered core@shell nanoparticles
The interplay on enhancing and quenching effects between Er3+ and Yb3+ dopant clusters in self-sensitized core@shell nanoparticles is studied.
Nanoscale, 2017,9, 18490-18497
https://doi.org/10.1039/C7NR06729A
A core–multiple shell nanostructure enabling concurrent upconversion and quantum cutting for photon management
Photon management enables the manipulation of the number of input photons by conversion of two or more light quanta into one (upconversion) or vice versa (quantum cutting).
Nanoscale, 2017,9, 1934-1941
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6NR09713H
Revisiting the optimized doping ratio in core/shell nanostructured upconversion particles
The development of rare-earth doped upconversion nanoparticles (RE-UCNPs) in various applications is fuelling the demand for nanoparticles with highly enhanced upconversion luminescence (UCL).
Nanoscale, 2017,9, 1964-1971
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6NR07687D
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Nonlinear spectral and lifetime management in upconversion nanoparticles by controlling energy distribution
A method is delineated for the management of nonlinear spectral profile and luminescence lifetime in upconversion nanoparticles by manipulating the energy distributors.
Nanoscale, 2016,8, 6666-6673
https://doi.org/10.1039/C6NR00812G
About this collection
Singlet fission and photon upconversion are two photochemical processes. Singlet fission is the process of splitting one excited state into two exited triplets and charge carrier states. Photon upconversion combines two low energy photons into one high energy photon.
This article collection highlights some of the most recent articles in Nanoscale on singlet fission and photon upconversion. In partnership with our sister journal, Journal of Materials Chemistry C, we will be running an RSC Desktop Seminar on this very topic. Learn more here.
Want to read more? Check out this Editor’s Choice collection with Professor Kasper Moth-Poulsen (Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden).