Issue 1, 2021

Thermal enhancement of upconversion emission in nanocrystals: a comprehensive summary

Abstract

Luminescence thermal stability is a major figure of merit of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles playing an essential role in determining their potential applications in advanced optics. Unfortunately, considering the intensification of multiple electron-vibration interactions as temperature increases, luminescence thermal quenching of lanthanide-doped materials is generally considered to be inevitable. Recently, the emergence of thermally enhanced upconversion luminescence in lanthanide-doped nanoparticles seemed to challenge this stereotype, and the research on this topic rapidly aroused wide attention. While considerable efforts have been made to explore the origin of this phenomenon, the key mechanism of luminescence enhancement is still under debate. Here, to sort out the context of this intriguing finding, the reported results on this exciting topic are reviewed, and the corresponding enhancement mechanisms as proposed by different researchers are summarized. Detailed analyses are provided to evaluate the contribution of the most believed “surface-attached moisture desorption” process on the overall luminescence enhancement of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles at elevated temperatures. The impacts of other surface-related processes and shell passivation on the luminescence behaviour of the lanthanide-doped materials are also elaborated. Lack of standardization in the reported data and the absence of important experimental information, which greatly hinders the cross-checking and reanalysis of the results, is emphasized as well. On the foundation of these discussions, it is realized that the thermal-induced luminescence enhancement is a form of recovery process against the strong luminescence quenching in the system, and the enhancement degree is closely associated with the extent of luminescence loss induced by various quenching effects beforehand.

Graphical abstract: Thermal enhancement of upconversion emission in nanocrystals: a comprehensive summary

Article information

Article type
Perspective
Submitted
25 ستمبر 2020
Accepted
16 نومبر 2020
First published
16 نومبر 2020

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021,23, 20-42

Thermal enhancement of upconversion emission in nanocrystals: a comprehensive summary

R. Shi, E. D. Martinez, C. D. S. Brites and L. D. Carlos, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2021, 23, 20 DOI: 10.1039/D0CP05069E

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