Issue 1, 2024

Anomalous thermal activation of green upconversion luminescence in Yb/Er/ZnGdO self-assembled microflowers for high-sensitivity temperature detection

Abstract

Non-contact optical temperature detection has shown a great promise in biological systems and microfluidics because of its outstanding spatial resolution, superior accuracy, and non-invasive nature. However, the thermal quenching of photoluminescence significantly hinders the practical applications of optical temperature probes. Herein, we report thermally enhanced green upconversion luminescence in Yb/Er/ZnGdO microflowers by a defect-assisted thermal distribution mechanism. A 1.6-fold enhancement in green emission was demonstrated as the temperature increased from 298 K to 558 K. Experimental results and dynamic analysis demonstrated that this behavior of thermally activating green upconversion luminescence originates from the emission loss compensation, which is attributed to thermally-induced energy transfer from defect levels to the green emitting level. In addition, the Yb/Er/ZnGdO microflowers can act as self-referenced radiometric optical thermometers. The ultrahigh absolute sensitivity of 1.61% K−1 and an excellent relative sensitivity of 15.5% K−1 based on the 4F9/2/2H11/2(2) level pair were synchronously achieved at room temperature. These findings provide a novel strategy for surmounting the thermal quenching luminescence, thereby greatly promoting the application of non-contact sensitive radiometric thermometers.

Graphical abstract: Anomalous thermal activation of green upconversion luminescence in Yb/Er/ZnGdO self-assembled microflowers for high-sensitivity temperature detection

  • This article is part of the themed collection: #MyFirstMH

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
27 Aug. 2023
Accepted
17 Okt. 2023
First published
18 Okt. 2023

Mater. Horiz., 2024,11, 227-237

Anomalous thermal activation of green upconversion luminescence in Yb/Er/ZnGdO self-assembled microflowers for high-sensitivity temperature detection

W. Zheng, A. He, H. Ma, J. Chen, B. Jing, Y. Li, X. Yu, C. Cao and B. Sun, Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 227 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH01360J

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