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Sample records for multicolor visible upconversion

  1. Synthesis of Multicolor Core/Shell NaLuF4:Yb3+/Ln3+@CaF2 Upconversion Nanocrystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Li

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The ability to synthesize high-quality hierarchical core/shell nanocrystals from an efficient host lattice is important to realize efficacious photon upconversion for applications ranging from bioimaging to solar cells. Here, we describe a strategy to fabricate multicolor core @ shell α-NaLuF4:Yb3+/Ln3+@CaF2 (Ln = Er, Ho, Tm upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs based on the newly established host lattice of sodium lutetium fluoride (NaLuF4. We exploited the liquid-solid-solution method to synthesize the NaLuF4 core of pure cubic phase and the thermal decomposition approach to expitaxially grow the calcium fluoride (CaF2 shell onto the core UCNCs, yielding cubic core/shell nanocrystals with a size of 15.6 ± 1.2 nm (the core ~9 ± 0.9 nm, the shell ~3.3 ± 0.3 nm. We showed that those core/shell UCNCs could emit activator-defined multicolor emissions up to about 772 times more efficient than the core nanocrystals due to effective suppression of surface-related quenching effects. Our results provide a new paradigm on heterogeneous core/shell structure for enhanced multicolor upconversion photoluminescence from colloidal nanocrystals.

  2. Multicolor upconversion emission of dispersed ultrasmall cubic Sr2LuF7 nanocrystals synthesized by a solvothermal process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong, Lunjun; Ma, Mo; Xu, Changfu; Li, Xujun; Wang, Suiping; Lin, Jianguo; Yang, Qibin

    2013-01-01

    Lanthanide (Ln 3+ ) doped Sr 2 LuF 7 (Ln 3+ =Er 3+ /Tm 3+ /Yb 3+ ) nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized via a solvothermal process using oleate as stabilizing agent. The as-synthesized NCs with a mean diameter of sub-20 nm can be well dispersed in cyclohexane and show a pure cubic phase structure with space group Fm3 ¯ m. Following appropriate lanthanide ion doping, the NCs show intense red, green, blue and white-color upconversion emission (UC) under the excitation of a 980 nm laser. Predominant near-infrared UC can also be obtained in the Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ doped Sr 2 LuF 7 NCs. The energy transfer UC mechanisms for the fluorescent intensity were also investigated. The desirable property of the ultrasmall dispersed NCs makes them promising materials for the applications in miniaturized solid-state light sources, multicolor three-dimensional display devices and fluorescent labels for biomedical imaging. - Highlights: ► Cubic-structure (Fm3 ¯ m) Sr 2 LuF 7 nanocrystals were synthesized for the first time. ► Nanocrystals (sub-20 nm) with cubic or spherical shape can be well dispersed. ► By doping properly, the nanocrystals show intense multicolor upconversion. ► Predominant near-infrared upconversion can be obtained in Sr 2 LuF 7 nanocrystals. ► Upconversion mechanism for the fluorescent intensity is mainly energy transfer.

  3. Simultaneous aptasensor for multiplex pathogenic bacteria detection based on multicolor upconversion nanoparticles labels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shijia; Duan, Nuo; Shi, Zhao; Fang, Congcong; Wang, Zhouping

    2014-03-18

    A highly sensitive and specific multiplex method for the simultaneous detection of three pathogenic bacteria was fabricated using multicolor upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) as luminescence labels coupled with aptamers as the molecular recognition elements. Multicolor UCNPs were synthesized via doping with various rare-earth ions to obtain well-separated emission peaks. The aptamer sequences were selected using the systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) strategy for Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio parahemolyticus, and Salmonella typhimurium. When applied in this method, aptamers can be used for the specific recognition of the bacteria from complex mixtures, including those found in real food matrixes. Aptamers and multicolor UCNPs were employed to selectively capture and simultaneously quantify the three target bacteria on the basis of the independent peaks. Under optimal conditions, the correlation between the concentration of three bacteria and the luminescence signal was found to be linear from 50-10(6) cfu mL(-1). Improved by the magnetic separation and concentration effect of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles, the limits of detection of the developed method were found to be 25, 10, and 15 cfu mL(-1) for S. aureus, V. parahemolyticus, and S. typhimurium, respectively. The capability of the bioassay in real food samples was also investigated, and the results were consistent with experimental results obtained from plate-counting methods. This proposed method for the detection of various pathogenic bacteria based on multicolor UCNPs has great potential in the application of food safety and multiplex nanosensors.

  4. Growth of hexagonal NaGdF{sub 4} nanocrystals based on cubic Ln{sup 3+}: CaF{sub 2} precursors and the multi-color upconversion emissions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lei, Lei; Chen, Daqin, E-mail: dqchen@fjirsm.ac.cn; Yu, Yunlong; Zhang, Rui; Ling, Hang; Xu, Ju; Huang, Feng; Wang, Yuansheng, E-mail: yswang@fjirsm.ac.cn

    2014-04-05

    Graphical abstract: We reported a novel hetero-valence cation exchange route to synthesize Ln: NaGdF4 upconversion nanocrystals for the first time. -- Highlights: • The Ln3+: NaGdF4 nanocrystals were synthesized based on the Ln3+: CaF2 precursors. • The microstructures of nanocrystals were characterized. • The multi-color upconversion emissions were easily realized. -- Abstract: Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanomaterials have attracted great attention recently for their potential applications in the fields of bio-label, three-dimensional display, solar cell and so on. In this article, we report a new strategy to prepare hexagonal Ln{sup 3+}:NaGdF{sub 4} upconversion nanocrystals. Unlike the routine way of synthesizing NaGdF{sub 4} nanocrystals through nucleation and growth, the formation of hexagonal NaGdF{sub 4} nanocrystals herein is realized based on the Ln{sup 3+}-doped cubic CaF{sub 2} precursors, following a hetero-valence cation exchange process between Gd{sup 3+}/Na{sup +} and Ca{sup 2+}. Evidently, Ln{sup 3+} dopants in the CaF{sub 2} precursors are retained in the finally formed hexagonal NaGdF{sub 4} nanocrystals and, subsequently, multi-color upconversion emissions are easily realized by simply adjusting the Ln{sup 3+} dopant species and contents in the CaF{sub 2} precursors. This novel hetero-valence cation exchange route may open up a new pathway to synthesize nanomaterials that cannot be fabricated directly.

  5. CdS/ZnS core-shell nanocrystal photosensitizers for visible to UV upconversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Victor; Xia, Pan; Huang, Zhiyuan; Moses, Emily; Fast, Alexander; Fishman, Dmitry A; Vullev, Valentine I; Abrahamsson, Maria; Moth-Poulsen, Kasper; Lee Tang, Ming

    2017-08-01

    Herein we report the first example of nanocrystal (NC) sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation based photon upconversion from the visible to ultraviolet (vis-to-UV). Many photocatalyzed reactions, such as water splitting, require UV photons in order to function efficiently. Upconversion is one possible means of extending the usable range of photons into the visible. Vis-to-UV upconversion is achieved with CdS/ZnS core-shell NCs as the sensitizer and 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) as annihilator and emitter. The ZnS shell was crucial in order to achieve any appreciable upconversion. From time resolved photoluminescence and transient absorption measurements we conclude that the ZnS shell affects the NC and triplet energy transfer (TET) from NC to PPO in two distinct ways. Upon ZnS growth the surface traps are passivated thus increasing the TET. The shell, however, also acts as a tunneling barrier for TET, reducing the efficiency. This leads to an optimal shell thickness where the upconversion quantum yield ( Φ ' UC ) is maximized. Here the maximum Φ ' UC was determined to be 5.2 ± 0.5% for 4 monolayers of ZnS shell on CdS NCs.

  6. Near-Infrared to Visible Organic Upconversion Devices Based on Organic Light-Emitting Field Effect Transistors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dongwei; Hu, Yongsheng; Zhang, Nan; Lv, Ying; Lin, Jie; Guo, Xiaoyang; Fan, Yi; Luo, Jinsong; Liu, Xingyuan

    2017-10-18

    The near-infrared (NIR) to visible upconversion devices have attracted great attention because of their potential applications in the fields of night vision, medical imaging, and military security. Herein, a novel all-organic upconversion device architecture has been first proposed and developed by incorporating a NIR absorption layer between the carrier transport layer and the emission layer in heterostructured organic light-emitting field effect transistors (OLEFETs). The as-prepared devices show a typical photon-to-photon upconversion efficiency as high as 7% (maximum of 28.7% under low incident NIR power intensity) and millisecond-scale response time, which are the highest upconversion efficiency and one of the fastest response time among organic upconversion devices as referred to the previous reports up to now. The high upconversion performance mainly originates from the gain mechanism of field-effect transistor structures and the unique advantage of OLEFETs to balance between the photodetection and light emission. Meanwhile, the strategy of OLEFETs also offers the advantage of high integration so that no extra OLED is needed in the organic upconversion devices. The results would pave way for low-cost, flexible and portable organic upconversion devices with high efficiency and simplified processing.

  7. Visible Discrimination of Broadband Infrared Light by Dye-Enhanced Upconversion in Lanthanide-Doped Nanocrystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles G. Dupuy

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Optical upconversion of near infrared light to visible light is an attractive way to capture the optical energy or optical information contained in low-energy photons that is otherwise lost to the human eye or to certain photodetectors and solar cells. Until the recent application of broadband absorbing optical antennas, upconversion efficiency in lanthanide-doped nanocrystals was limited by the weak, narrow atomic absorption of a handful of sensitizer elements. In this work, we extend the role of the optical antenna to provide false-color, visible discrimination between bands of infrared radiation. By pairing different optical antenna dyes to specific nanoparticle compositions, unique visible emission is associated with different bands of infrared excitation. In one material set, the peak emission was increased 10-fold, and the width of the spectral response was increased more than 10-fold.

  8. Sub-Band Gap Turn-On Near-Infrared-to-Visible Up-Conversion Device Enabled by an Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Perovskite Photovoltaic Absorber.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, By Hyeonggeun; Cheng, Yuanhang; Li, Menglin; Tsang, Sai-Wing; So, Franky

    2018-05-09

    Direct integration of an infrared (IR) photodetector with an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) enables low-cost, pixel-free IR imaging. However, the operation voltage of the resulting IR-to-visible up-conversion is large because of the series device architecture. Here, we report a low-voltage near-IR (NIR)-to-visible up-conversion device using formamidinium lead iodide as a NIR absorber integrated with a phosphorescent OLED. Because of the efficient photocarrier injection from the hybrid perovskite layer to the OLED, we observed a sub-band gap turn-on of the OLED under NIR illumination. The device showed a NIR-to-visible up-conversion efficiency of 3% and a luminance on/off ratio of 10 3 at only 5 V. Finally, we demonstrate pixel-free NIR imaging using the up-conversion device.

  9. Multicolor tuning towards single red-emission band of upconversion nanoparticles for tunable optical component and optical/x-ray imaging agents via Ce"3"+ doping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yi, Zhigao; Zeng, Tianmei; Xu, Yaru; Qian, Chao; Liu, Hongrong; Zeng, Songjun; Lu, Wei; Hao, Jianhua

    2015-01-01

    A simple strategy of Ce"3"+ doping is proposed to realize multicolor tuning and predominant red emission in BaLnF_5:Yb"3"+/Ho"3"+ (Ln"3"+ = Gd"3"+, Y"3"+, Yb"3"+) systems. A tunable upconversion (UC) multicolor output from green/yellow to red can be readily achieved in a fixed Yb"3"+/Ho"3"+ composition by doping Ce"3"+, providing an effective route for multicolor tuning widely used for various optical components. Moreover, compared with Ce"3"+-free UC nanoparticles (UCNPs), a remarkable enhancement of the red-to-green (R/G) ratio is observed by doping 30% Ce"3"+, arising from the two largely promoted cross-relaxation (CR) processes between Ce"3"+ and Ho"3"+. UCNPs with pure red emission are selected as in vivo UC bioimaging agents, demonstrating the merits of deep penetration depth, the absence of autofluorescence and high contrast in small animal bioimaging. Moreover, such fluorescence imaging nanoprobes can also be used as contrast agents for three-dimensional (3D) x-ray bioimaging by taking advantage of the high K-edge values and x-ray absorption coefficients of Ba"2"+, Gd"3"+, and Ce"3"+ in our designed nanoprobes. Thus, the simultaneous realization of multicolor output, highly enhanced R/G ratio, and predominant red emission makes the Ce"3"+-doped UCNPs very useful for widespread applications in optical components and bioimaging. (paper)

  10. Multicolor tuning towards single red-emission band of upconversion nanoparticles for tunable optical component and optical/x-ray imaging agents via Ce(3+) doping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Zhigao; Zeng, Tianmei; Xu, Yaru; Lu, Wei; Qian, Chao; Liu, Hongrong; Zeng, Songjun; Hao, Jianhua

    2015-09-25

    A simple strategy of Ce(3+) doping is proposed to realize multicolor tuning and predominant red emission in BaLnF5:Yb(3+)/Ho(3+) (Ln(3+) = Gd(3+), Y(3+), Yb(3+)) systems. A tunable upconversion (UC) multicolor output from green/yellow to red can be readily achieved in a fixed Yb(3+)/Ho(3+) composition by doping Ce(3+), providing an effective route for multicolor tuning widely used for various optical components. Moreover, compared with Ce(3+)-free UC nanoparticles (UCNPs), a remarkable enhancement of the red-to-green (R/G) ratio is observed by doping 30% Ce(3+), arising from the two largely promoted cross-relaxation (CR) processes between Ce(3+) and Ho(3+). UCNPs with pure red emission are selected as in vivo UC bioimaging agents, demonstrating the merits of deep penetration depth, the absence of autofluorescence and high contrast in small animal bioimaging. Moreover, such fluorescence imaging nanoprobes can also be used as contrast agents for three-dimensional (3D) x-ray bioimaging by taking advantage of the high K-edge values and x-ray absorption coefficients of Ba(2+), Gd(3+), and Ce(3+) in our designed nanoprobes. Thus, the simultaneous realization of multicolor output, highly enhanced R/G ratio, and predominant red emission makes the Ce(3+)-doped UCNPs very useful for widespread applications in optical components and bioimaging.

  11. Mitigation Technique for Receiver Performance Variation of Multi-Color Channels in Visible Light Communication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeong Min Jang

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available “Green” and energy-efficient wireless communication schemes have recently experienced rapid development and garnered much interest. One such scheme is visible light communication (VLC which is being touted as one of the next generation wireless communication systems. VLC allows communication using multi-color channels that provide high data rates and illumination simultaneously. Even though VLC has many advantageous features compared with RF technologies, including visibility, ubiquitousness, high speed, high security, harmlessness for the human body and freedom of RF interference, it suffers from some problems on the receiver side, one of them being photo sensitivity dissimilarity of the receiver. The photo sensitivity characteristics of a VLC receiver such as Si photo-detector depend on the wavelength variation. The performance of the VLC receiver is not uniform towards all channel colors, but it is desirable for receivers to have the same performance on each color channel. In this paper, we propose a mitigation technique for reducing the performance variation of the receiver on multi-color channels. We show received power, SNR, BER, output current, and outage probability in our simulation for different color channels. Simulation results show that, the proposed scheme can reduce the performance variation of the VLC receiver on multi-color channels.

  12. Infrared to visible upconversion luminescence in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped CeO2 inverse opal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Zhengwen; Wu, Hangjun; Liao, Jiayan; Li, Wucai; Song, Zhiguo; Yang, Yong; Zhou, Dacheng; Wang, Rongfei; Qiu, Jianbei

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • UC emission of Er 3+ was modified by introducing the structure of inverse opal. • Color tuning of CeO 2 :Yb, Er inverse opal was realized by inhibition of UC emission. • Two-photon excitation processes were observed in CeO 2 :Yb, Er inverse opal. -- Abstract: Infrared to visible upconversion luminescence has been investigated in Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped CeO 2 inverse opal. Under the excitation of 980 nm diode lasers, visible emissions centered at 525, 547, 561, 660 and 680 nm are observed, which are assigned to the Er 3+ transitions of 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 (525 nm), 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 (547, 561 nm), 4 F 9/2 → 4 I 15/2 (660 and 680 nm), respectively. The effect of photonic band gap on the upconversion luminescence intensity was also obtained. Additionally, the upconversion luminescence mechanism was studied. The dependence of Er 3+ upconversion emission intensity on pump power reveals that it is a two-photon excitation process

  13. Activation of visible up-conversion luminescence in transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb films by laser annealing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lluscà, M.; López-Vidrier, J.; Lauzurica, S.; Sánchez-Aniorte, M.I.; Antony, A.; Molpeceres, C.; Hernández, S.; Garrido, B.; Bertomeu, J.

    2015-01-01

    Transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb thin films with visible up-conversion (660-nm emission under 980-nm excitation) were fabricated by RF magnetron sputtering. The as-deposited films were found to be transparent and conducting and the activation of the Er ions in these films to produce up-conversion luminescence was achieved by different post-deposition annealing treatments in air, vacuum or by laser annealing using a Nd:YVO 4 laser. The structural, electrical and optical properties and the up-conversion efficiency of these films were found to be strongly influenced by the annealing method, and a detailed study is reported in this paper. It has been demonstrated that, although the air annealing was the most efficient in terms of up-conversion, laser annealing was the only method capable of activating Er ions while preserving the electrical conductivity of the doped films. It has been shown that a minimum energy was needed in laser annealing to optically activate the rare earth ions in the ZnO host material to produce up-conversion. Up-converting and transparent conducting ZnO:Er:Yb films with an electrical resistivity of 5×10 −2 Ω cm and transparency ~80% in the visible wavelength range has been achieved by laser annealing. - Highlights: • Transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb films were grown via magnetron sputtering. • Post-annealing ZnO:Er:Yb is needed to optically activate Er ions. • Visible up-conversion emission at 660 nm is observed under 980 nm excitation. • A transparent and conducting up-converter is achieved by laser annealing

  14. Synthesis, Tunable Multicolor Output, and High Pure Red Upconversion Emission of Lanthanide-Doped Lu2O3 Nanosheets

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lingzhen Yin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Yb3+ and Ln3+ (Ln = Er, Ho codoped Lu2O3 square nanocubic sheets were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method followed by a subsequent dehydration process. The crystal phase, morphology, and composition of hydroxide precursors and target oxides were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscope (EDS. Results present the as-prepared Lu2O3 crystallized in cubic phase, and the monodispersed square nanosheets were maintained both in hydroxide and oxides. Moreover, under 980 nm laser diode (LD excitation, multicolor output from red to yellow was realized by codoped different lanthanide ions in Lu2O3. It is noteworthy that high pure strong red upconversion emission with red to green ratio of 443.3 of Er-containing nanocrystals was obtained, which is beneficial for in vivo optical bioimaging.

  15. NIR-to-visible upconversion nanoparticles for fluorescent labeling and targeted delivery of siRNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang Shan; Zhang Yong; Lim, Kian Meng; Sim, Eugene K W; Ye Lei

    2009-01-01

    Near-infrared (NIR)-to-visible upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles were synthesized and used for imaging and targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to cancer cells. Silica-coated NaYF 4 upconversion nanoparticles (UCNs) co-doped with lanthanide ions (Yb/Er) were synthesized. Folic acid and anti-Her2 antibody conjugated UCNs were used to fluorescently label the folate receptors of HT-29 cells and Her2 receptors of SK-BR-3 cells, respectively. The intracellular uptake of the folic acid and antibody conjugated UCNs was visualized using a confocal fluorescence microscope equipped with an NIR laser. siRNA was attached to anti-Her2 antibody conjugated UCNs and the delivery of these nanoparticles to SK-BR-3 cells was studied. Meanwhile, a luciferase assay was established to confirm the gene silencing effect of siRNA. Upconversion nanoparticles can serve as a fluorescent probe and delivery system for simultaneous imaging and delivery of biological molecules.

  16. NIR-to-visible upconversion nanoparticles for fluorescent labeling and targeted delivery of siRNA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Shan; Zhang, Yong; Lim, Kian Meng; Sim, Eugene K. W.; Ye, Lei

    2009-04-01

    Near-infrared (NIR)-to-visible upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles were synthesized and used for imaging and targeted delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) to cancer cells. Silica-coated NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles (UCNs) co-doped with lanthanide ions (Yb/Er) were synthesized. Folic acid and anti-Her2 antibody conjugated UCNs were used to fluorescently label the folate receptors of HT-29 cells and Her2 receptors of SK-BR-3 cells, respectively. The intracellular uptake of the folic acid and antibody conjugated UCNs was visualized using a confocal fluorescence microscope equipped with an NIR laser. siRNA was attached to anti-Her2 antibody conjugated UCNs and the delivery of these nanoparticles to SK-BR-3 cells was studied. Meanwhile, a luciferase assay was established to confirm the gene silencing effect of siRNA. Upconversion nanoparticles can serve as a fluorescent probe and delivery system for simultaneous imaging and delivery of biological molecules.

  17. Enhanced performance of dye-sensitized solar cells based on TiO{sub 2} with NIR-absorption and visible upconversion luminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liang, Li [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Yulin, Yang, E-mail: ylyang@hit.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Mi, Zhou; Ruiqing, Fan; LeLe, Qiu [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Xin, Wang [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Department of Food and Environmental Engineering, Heilongjiang, East University, Harbin 150086 (China); Lingyun, Zhang [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); School of Chemical Engineering, Northeast Dianli University, Jilin 132012 (China); Xuesong, Zhou; Jianglong, He [Department of Chemistry, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China)

    2013-02-15

    TiO{sub 2} with NIR-absorption and visible upconversion luminescence (UC-TiO{sub 2}) is prepared by a sol-gel method and calcined at 700 Degree-Sign C for 6 h. The material broadens the response region of dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) from an ultraviolet-visible region to the whole region of the solar spectrum. It shifts NIR sunlight to visible light which matches the strong absorbing region of the dye (N719). DSSCs based on UC-TiO{sub 2} achieved higher conversion efficiency than that on raw TiO{sub 2}. UC-TiO{sub 2} was mixed with commercial raw TiO{sub 2} as additive, and the short-circuit current density, open-circuit voltage and conversion efficiency of the DSSC reached to the optimum values 13.38 mA/cm{sup 2}, 0.78 V and 6.63% (AM1.5 global), comparing with the blank values: 7.99 mA/cm{sup 2}, 0.75 V and 4.07%, respectively. Also the mechanisms of upconversion by multiphoton absorption and energy transfer processes are interpreted in this paper. - Graphical abstract: By introducing TiO{sub 2} with NIR-absorption and visible up-conversion luminescence into DSSC, a signal reflection was explored from ultra-violet region to visible region, and to near-IR region. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer TiO{sub 2} with NIR-absorption and visible up-conversion luminescence (UC-TiO{sub 2}) was prepared by a sol-gel method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A systematic characterization and analysis was carried out to discuss the mechanism. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer A significantly enhanced performance of DSSC was explored by using UC-TiO{sub 2} as an additive.

  18. Spectroscopy and visible frequency upconversion in Er3+-Yb3+: TeO2-ZnO glass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohanty, Deepak Kumar; Rai, Vineet Kumar

    2014-01-01

    The UV-Vis-NIR absorption studies of the Er(3+)/Er(3+)-Yb(3+) doped/codoped TeO2-ZnO (TZO) glasses fabricated by the melting and quenching method has been performed. The spectroscopic radiative parameters viz. radiative transition probabilities, branching ratios and lifetimes have been determined from the absorption spectrum by using Judd-Ofelt theory. The near infrared (NIR) to visible frequency upconversion (UC) have been monitored by using an excitation of 976 nm wavelength radiation from a CW diode laser. The effect of codoping with Yb(3+) ions on the intensity of the UC emission bands from the Er(3+) ions throughout visible region has been studied. The mechanism responsible for the observed upconversion emissions in the prepared samples have been explained on the basis of excited state absorption and efficient energy transfer processes. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Multicolor Upconversion Nanoprobes Based on a Dual Luminescence Resonance Energy Transfer Assay for Simultaneous Detection and Bioimaging of [Ca2+ ]i and pHi in Living Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Xinyue; Yue, Zihong; Zhang, Jiayu; Jiang, Yanxialei; Wang, Zonghua; Zhang, Shusheng

    2018-04-25

    Intracellular [Ca 2+ ] i and pH i have a close relationship, and their abnormal levels can result in cell dysfunction and accompanying diseases. Thus, simultaneous determination of [Ca 2+ ] i and pH i can more accurately investigate complex biological processes in an integrated platform. Herein, multicolor upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were prepared with the advantages of no spectral overlapping, single NIR excitation wavelengths, and greater tissue penetration depth. The upconversion nanoprobes were easily prepared by the attachment of two fluorescent dyes, Fluo-4 and SNARF-4F. Based on the dual luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) process, the blue and green fluorescence of the UCNPs were specially quenched and selectively recovered after the detachment and/or absorbance change of the attached fluorescent dyes, enabling dual detection. Importantly, the developed nanoprobe could successfully be applied for the detection of [Ca 2+ ] i and pH i change in adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and ethylene glycol tetraacetic acid (EGTA) stimulation in living cells. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Optimization of a miniature short-wavelength infrared objective optics of a short-wavelength infrared to visible upconversion layer attached to a mobile-devices visible camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kadosh, Itai; Sarusi, Gabby

    2017-10-01

    The use of dual cameras in parallax in order to detect and create 3-D images in mobile devices has been increasing over the last few years. We propose a concept where the second camera will be operating in the short-wavelength infrared (SWIR-1300 to 1800 nm) and thus have night vision capability while preserving most of the other advantages of dual cameras in terms of depth and 3-D capabilities. In order to maintain commonality of the two cameras, we propose to attach to one of the cameras a SWIR to visible upconversion layer that will convert the SWIR image into a visible image. For this purpose, the fore optics (the objective lenses) should be redesigned for the SWIR spectral range and the additional upconversion layer, whose thickness is mobile device visible range camera sensor (the CMOS sensor). This paper presents such a SWIR objective optical design and optimization that is formed and fit mechanically to the visible objective design but with different lenses in order to maintain the commonality and as a proof-of-concept. Such a SWIR objective design is very challenging since it requires mimicking the original visible mobile camera lenses' sizes and the mechanical housing, so we can adhere to the visible optical and mechanical design. We present in depth a feasibility study and the overall optical system performance of such a SWIR mobile-device camera fore optics design.

  1. Architecture, development and implementation of a SWIR to visible integrated up-conversion imaging device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sarusi, Gabby; Templeman, Tzvi; Hechster, Elad; Nissim, Nimrod; Vitenberg, Vladimir; Maman, Nitzan; Tal, Amir; Solodar, Assi; Makov, Guy; Abdulhalim, Ibrahim; Visoly-Fisher, Iris; Golan, Yuval

    2016-04-01

    A new concept of short wavelength infrared (SWIR) to visible upconversion integrated imaging device is proposed, modeled and some initial measured results are presented. The device is a hybrid inorganic-organic device that comprises six nano-metric scale sub-layers grown on n-type GaAs substrates. The first layer is a ~300nm thick PbSe nano-columnar absorber layer grown in (111) orientation to the substrate plan (100), with a diameter of 8- 10nm and therefore exhibit quantum confinement effects parallel to the substrate and bulk properties perpendicular to it. The advantage of this structure is the high oscillator strength and hence absorption to incoming SWIR photons while maintaining the high bulk mobility of photo-excited charges along the columns. The top of the PbSe absorber layer is coated with 20nm thick metal layer that serves as a dual sided mirror, as well as a potentially surface plasmon enhanced absorption in the PbSe nano-columns layer. The photo-excited charges (holes and electrons in opposite directions) are drifted under an external applied field to the OLED section (that is composed of a hole transport layer, an emission layer and an electron transport layer) where they recombine with injected electron from the transparent cathode and emit visible light through this cathode. Due to the high absorption and enhanced transport properties this architecture has the potential of high quantum efficiency, low cost and easy implementation in any optical system. As a bench-mark, alternative concept where InGaAs/InP heterojunction couple to liquid crystal optical spatial light modulator (OSLM) structure was built that shows a full upconversion to visible of 1550nm laser light.

  2. Near infrared emission and multicolor tunability of enhanced upconversion emission from Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanocrystals embedded in silica-based nanocomposite and planar waveguides for photonics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Aquino, Felipe Thomaz [Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, CEP 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Ferrari, Jefferson Luis [Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo. Av. Bandeirantes, 3900, CEP 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP (Brazil); Grupo de Pesquisa em Química de Materiais – (GPQM), Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal de São João Del Rei, Campus Dom Bosco, Praça Dom Helvécio, 74, 36301-160 São João Del Rei, MG (Brazil); Maia, Lauro June Queiroz [Grupo Física de Materiais, Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Campus II, C.P. 131, CEP 74001-970, Goiânia, GO (Brazil); Ribeiro, Sidney José Lima [Institute of Chemistry- São Paulo State University- UNESP, Araraquara, SP 14800-900 (Brazil); Ferrier, Alban [PSL Research University, Chimie ParisTech - CNRS, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, 75005 Paris (France); Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75005 Paris (France); and others

    2016-02-15

    WDM devices operating in the S, C, and L telecommunication bands; and as upconverter materials for visible upconversion lasers, biomedical applications, energy conversion for solar cells and others. - Highlights: • Unusual broadband NIR emission in nanocomposites and planar waveguides. • Strong effect of Yb {sup 3+} on enhancement and broadening of NIR emission. • Multicolor tunability of intense upconversion emission from planar waveguides.

  3. Preparation and RGB upconversion optic properties of transparent anti-counterfeiting films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Weijing; Tian, Qingyong; Liu, Jun; Xue, Qingwen; Li, Mengxiao; Liu, Li; Lu, Qiang; Wu, Wei

    2017-10-26

    Advanced anti-counterfeiting labels have aroused an intensive interest in packaging industry to avoid the serious issue of counterfeit. However, the preparation and cost of the existing labels associated with the drawbacks, including the complex and high-cost equipment, limit the protection of the authenticity of goods. Herein, we developed a series of anti-counterfeiting labels based on multicolor upconversion micro-particles (UCMPs) inks via straightforward and low-cost solutions, including spin-coating, stamping and screen printing. The UCMPs were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal process and displayed tunable red (R), green (G) and blue (B) color by doping different lanthanide ions, which are Er 3+ /Tm 3+ , Yb 3+ /Er 3+ and Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ in NaYF 4 hosts, respectively. The optimal UCMPs inks were deposited on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate to obtain transparent anti-counterfeiting labels possessing higher transmittance, stronger upconversion fluorescence intensity and good photostability. Under ambient conditions, the patterns and films were transparent, but could exhibit multicolor light under 980 nm laser excitation. They can be used as anti-counterfeiting labels for die-cutting packages to further elevate the security of goods. The tunable and designable transparent anti-counterfeiting labels based on RGB UCMPs inks exhibit the merits of low-cost, easy-manufacture and versatility, underlying the practical application in the field of anti-counterfeiting.

  4. Micro-pulse upconversion Doppler lidar for wind and visibility detection in the atmospheric boundary layer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Haiyun; Shangguan, Mingjia; Wang, Chong; Shentu, Guoliang; Qiu, Jiawei; Zhang, Qiang; Dou, Xiankang; Pan, Jianwei

    2016-11-15

    For the first time, to the best of our knowledge, a compact, eye-safe, and versatile direct detection Doppler lidar is developed using an upconversion single-photon detection method at 1.5 μm. An all-fiber and polarization maintaining architecture is realized to guarantee the high optical coupling efficiency and the robust stability. Using integrated-optic components, the conservation of etendue of the optical receiver is achieved by manufacturing a fiber-coupled periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide and an all-fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI). The double-edge technique is implemented by using a convert single-channel FPI and a single upconversion detector, incorporating a time-division multiplexing method. The backscatter photons at 1548.1 nm are converted into 863 nm via mixing with a pump laser at 1950 nm. The relative error of the system is less than 0.1% over nine weeks. In experiments, atmospheric wind and visibility over 48 h are detected in the boundary layer. The lidar shows good agreement with the ultrasonic wind sensor, with a standard deviation of 1.04 m/s in speed and 12.3° in direction.

  5. Upconversion Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Mechanism, and Applications in Sensing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Xiaojun Zhao

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Upconversion is an optical process that involves the conversion of lower-energy photons into higher-energy photons. It has been extensively studied since mid-1960s and widely applied in optical devices. Over the past decade, high-quality rare earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles have been successfully synthesized with the rapid development of nanotechnology and are becoming more prominent in biological sciences. The synthesis methods are usually phase-based processes, such as thermal decomposition, hydrothermal reaction, and ionic liquids-based synthesis. The main difference between upconversion nanoparticles and other nanomaterials is that they can emit visible light under near infrared irradiation. The near infrared irradiation leads to low autofluorescence, less scattering and absorption, and deep penetration in biological samples. In this review, the synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles and the mechanisms of upconversion process will be discussed, followed by their applications in different areas, especially in the biological field for biosensing.

  6. Advances in highly doped upconversion nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wen, Shihui; Zhou, Jiajia; Zheng, Kezhi; Bednarkiewicz, Artur; Liu, Xiaogang; Jin, Dayong

    2018-06-20

    Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are capable of converting near-infra-red excitation into visible and ultraviolet emission. Their unique optical properties have advanced a broad range of applications, such as fluorescent microscopy, deep-tissue bioimaging, nanomedicine, optogenetics, security labelling and volumetric display. However, the constraint of concentration quenching on upconversion luminescence has hampered the nanoscience community to develop bright UCNPs with a large number of dopants. This review surveys recent advances in developing highly doped UCNPs, highlights the strategies that bypass the concentration quenching effect, and discusses new optical properties as well as emerging applications enabled by these nanoparticles.

  7. Upconversion based spectral imaging in 6 to 8 μm spectral regime

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Junaid, Saher; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Pedersen, Christian

    2017-01-01

    Spectral imaging in the 6 to 8μm range has great potential for medical diagnostics. Here a novel technique based on frequency upconversion of the infrared images to the near visible for subsequent acquisition using a Si-CCD camera is investigated. The upconversion unit consists of an AgGaS2 crystal...

  8. Tunable multicolor and white-light upconversion luminescence in Yb3+/Tm3+/Ho3+ tri-doped NaYF4 micro-crystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Hao; Xu, Dekang; Teng, Dongdong; Yang, Shenghong; Zhang, Yueli

    2015-09-01

    NaYF4 micro-crystals with various concentrations of Yb(3+) /Tm(3+) /Ho(3+) were prepared successfully via a simple and reproducible hydrothermal route using EDTA as the chelating agent. Their phase structure and surface morphology were studied using powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD patterns revealed that all the samples were pure hexagonal phase NaYF4. SEM images showed that Yb(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) tri-doped NaYF4 were hexagonal micro-prisms. Upconversion photoluminescence spectra of Yb(3+)/Tm(3+)/Ho(3+) tri-doped NaYF4 micro-crystals with various dopant concentrations under 980 nm excitation with a 665 mW pump power were studied. Tunable multicolor (purple, purplish blue, yellowish green, green) and white light were achieved by simply adjusting the Ho(3+) concentration in 20%Yb(3+)/1%Tm(3+)/xHo(3+) tri-doped NaYF4 micro-crystals. Furthermore, white-light emissions could be obtained using different pump powers in 20%Yb(3+)/1%Tm(3+)/1%Ho(3+) tri-doped NaYF4 micro-crystals at 980 nm excitation. The pump power-dependent intensity relationship was studied and relevant energy transfer processes were discussed in detail. The results suggest that Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) Ho(3+) tri-doped NaYF4 micro-crystals have potential applications in optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaic, plasma display panel and white-light-emitting diodes. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Room-temperature mid-infrared single-photon imaging using upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Pedersen, Christian

    2014-01-01

    The mid-wave infrared (MWIR) region is a fast developing research area due to many possible applications. Indeed a lot of research has been put into the development of novel light sources in the MWIR. This has led to very powerful sources such as quantum cascade lasers (QCL) and optical parametric...... detectors, when compared to silicon based detectors available for the visible and near visible spectral range. In fact, camera sensitivities down to the single photon level have been developed for sub-μm wavelengths. This discrepancy in sensitivity makes it attractive to perform wavelength upconversion...... upconversion efficiencies of 20 % for polarized collinear MWIR light. To make the module truly portable the laser cavity is assembled in a closed mechanical unit which ensures that visible light cannot enter from the outside, and provides a very stable mount for the optical components. Figure 1 depicts...

  10. Visible-to-UVC upconversion efficiency and mechanisms of Lu{sub 7}O{sub 6}F{sub 9}:Pr{sup 3+} and Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Pr{sup 3+} ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cates, Ezra L. [Department of Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences, Clemson University, Anderson, SC 29625 (United States); Center for Optical Materials Science and Engineering Technologies, Clemson University, Anderson, SC 29625 (United States); Wilkinson, Angus P. [School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 (United States); Kim, Jae-Hong, E-mail: jaehong.kim@yale.edu [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511 (United States)

    2015-04-15

    Visible-to-UVC upconversion (UC) by Pr{sup 3+}-doped materials is a promising candidate for application to sustainable disinfection technologies, including light-activated antimicrobial surfaces and solar water treatment. In this work, we studied Pr{sup 3+} upconversion in an oxyfluoride host system for the first time, employing Lu{sub 7}O{sub 6}F{sub 9}:Pr{sup 3+} ceramics. Compared to the previously studied Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Pr{sup 3+} reference material, the oxyfluoride host resulted in a 5-fold increase in intermediate state lifetime, likely due to a lower maximum phonon energy; however, only a 60% gain in UC intensity was observed. To explain this discrepancy, luminescence spectral distribution and decay kinetics were studied in both phosphor systems. The Pr{sup 3+} 4f5d band energy distribution in each phosphor was found to play a key role by allowing or disallowing the occurrence of a previously unexplored UC mechanism, which had a significant impact on overall efficiency. - Highlights: • Visible-to-UVC upconversion by Pr{sup 3+} was studied in an oxyfluoride host matrix for the first time. • Lu{sub 7}O{sub 6}F{sub 9}:Pr{sup 3+} ceramics were synthesized and characterized. • Lu{sub 7}O{sub 6}F{sub 9}:Pr{sup 3+} shows more intense UV upconversion than Y{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Pr{sup 3+}, with differing mechanisms. • 4f5d band energy and {sup 1}D{sub 2} involvement are important in maximizing upconversion efficiency.

  11. Mixing up-conversion excitation behaviors in Er3+/Yb3+-codoped aluminum germanate glasses for visible waveguide devices

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gong, H.; Lin, L.; Zhao, X.; Pun, E.Y.B.; Yang, D.L.; Lin, H.

    2010-01-01

    A mixing up-conversion excitation phenomenon in Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped aluminum germanate (Na 2 O-MgO-Al 2 O 3 -GeO 2 , NMAG for short) glasses for K + -Na + ion-exchanged waveguides was observed and characterized. The green and red up-conversion luminescence of Er 3+ is due to a two-photon excitation process under low-power excitation of a 974 nm diode laser, however, with increasing the pumping power, the green emission turns to follow a combination of two- and three-photon excitation effects while the red one still agrees with a two-photon excitation law. Under high-power pumping, owing to potential thermal effect, the population ratio between the 2 H 11/2 and 4 S 3/2 levels adjusts acutely, which results in a distinct exhibition in 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 emission transitions. Green transmission trace has been observed in K + -Na + ion-exchanged Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped NMAG glass waveguide and it provides an original reference in developing visible waveguide amplifiers and lasers.

  12. Upconversion in rare earth ions doped TeO2-ZnO glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohanty, Deepak Kumar; Rai, Vineet Kumar

    2012-01-01

    The Er 3+ /Yb 3+ doped/codoped TeO 2 -ZnO glasses have been fabricated by conventional melt and quenching technique. The absorption spectra of the doped/codoped glasses have been performed. The visible upconversion emissions of both doped and codoped glasses have been observed using 808 nm diode laser excitation. The process involved in upconversion emissions has been discussed in detail. (author)

  13. NIR to visible upconversion in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped CaYAl3O7 phosphor obtained by solution combustion process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Vijay; Rai, Vineet Kumar; Al-Shamery, Katharina; Nordmann, Joerg; Haase, Markus

    2011-01-01

    Using the combustion synthesis, CaYAl 3 O 7 :Er 3+ phosphor powders co-doped with Yb 3+ have been prepared at low temperatures (550 o C) in a few minutes. Formation of the compound was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction. Near-infrared to visible upconversion fluorescence emission in the Er 3+ doped CaYAl 3 O 7 phosphor powder has been observed. The effect of co-doping with triply ionized ytterbium in the CaYAl 3 O 7 :Er 3+ phosphor has been studied and the process involved is discussed. - Highlights: → The green emitting up-conversion CaYAl 3 O 7 :Er 3+ phosphor powders co-doped with Yb 3+ have been prepared by easy combustion method. → The combustion method is a simple, energy saving, fast and economical viable process. → The luminescence intensity in the co-doped phosphor is enhanced by several times compared to that of the singly (Er 3+ ) doped phosphor.

  14. Upconversion imager measures single mid-IR photons

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Pedersen, Christian

    2013-01-01

    the performance of today's state of the art IR detectors for the visible/near-IR region shows a striking contrast, as the latter can have dark currents in the range of 0.001 electrons per second. Demonstrated performance of waveguide upconversion techniques still show considerable dark noise, even when working...

  15. Multicolor-FICTION

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Subero, José Ignacio; Chudoba, Ilse; Harder, Lana; Gesk, Stefan; Grote, Werner; Novo, Francisco Javier; Calasanz, María José; Siebert, Reiner

    2002-01-01

    Phenotypic and genotypic analyses of cells are increasingly essential for understanding pathogenetic mechanisms as well as for diagnosing and classifying malignancies and other diseases. We report a novel multicolor approach based on the FICTION (fluorescence immunophenotyping and interphase cytogenetics as a tool for the investigation of neoplasms) technique, which enables the simultaneous detection of morphological, immunophenotypic, and genetic characteristics of single cells. As prerequisite, multicolor interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization assays for B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and anaplastic large-cell lymphoma have been developed. These assays allow the simultaneous detection of the most frequent primary chromosomal aberrations in these neoplasms, such as t(8;14), t(11;14), t(14;18), and t(3;14), and the various rearrangements of the ALK gene, respectively. To establish the multicolor FICTION technique, these assays were combined with the immunophenotypic detection of lineage- or tumor-specific antigens, namely CD20 and ALK, respectively. For evaluation of multicolor FICTION experiments, image acquisition was performed by automatic sequential capturing of multiple focal planes. Thus, three-dimensional information was obtained. The multicolor FICTION assays were applied to well-characterized lymphoma samples, proving the performance, validity, and diagnostic power of the technique. Future multicolor FICTION applications include the detection of preneoplastic lesions, early stage and minimal residual diseases, or micrometastases. PMID:12163366

  16. Spectral Imaging by Upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Pedersen, Christian; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2011-01-01

    We present a method to obtain spectrally resolved images using upconversion. By this method an image is spectrally shifted from one spectral region to another wavelength. Since the process is spectrally sensitive it allows for a tailored spectral response. We believe this will allow standard...... silicon based cameras designed for visible/near infrared radiation to be used for spectral images in the mid infrared. This can lead to much lower costs for such imaging devices, and a better performance....

  17. Visible-to-visible four-photon ultrahigh resolution microscopic imaging with 730-nm diode laser excited nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Baoju; Zhan, Qiuqiang; Zhao, Yuxiang; Wu, Ruitao; Liu, Jing; He, Sailing

    2016-01-25

    Further development of multiphoton microscopic imaging is confronted with a number of limitations, including high-cost, high complexity and relatively low spatial resolution due to the long excitation wavelength. To overcome these problems, for the first time, we propose visible-to-visible four-photon ultrahigh resolution microscopic imaging by using a common cost-effective 730-nm laser diode to excite the prepared Nd(3+)-sensitized upconversion nanoparticles (Nd(3+)-UCNPs). An ordinary multiphoton scanning microscope system was built using a visible CW diode laser and the lateral imaging resolution as high as 161-nm was achieved via the four-photon upconversion process. The demonstrated large saturation excitation power for Nd(3+)-UCNPs would be more practical and facilitate the four-photon imaging in the application. A sample with fine structure was imaged to demonstrate the advantages of visible-to-visible four-photon ultrahigh resolution microscopic imaging with 730-nm diode laser excited nanocrystals. Combining the uniqueness of UCNPs, the proposed visible-to-visible four-photon imaging would be highly promising and attractive in the field of multiphoton imaging.

  18. Infrared to visible image up-conversion using optically addressed spatial light modulator utilizing liquid crystal and InGaAs photodiodes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Solodar, A., E-mail: asisolodar@gmail.com; Arun Kumar, T.; Sarusi, G.; Abdulhalim, I. [Department of Electro-Optics Engineering and The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105 (Israel)

    2016-01-11

    Combination of InGaAs/InP heterojunction photodetector with nematic liquid crystal (LC) as the electro-optic modulating material for optically addressed spatial light modulator for short wavelength infra-red (SWIR) to visible light image conversion was designed, fabricated, and tested. The photodetector layer is composed of 640 × 512 photodiodes array based on heterojunction InP/InGaAs having 15 μm pitch on InP substrate and with backside illumination architecture. The photodiodes exhibit extremely low, dark current at room temperature, with optimum photo-response in the SWIR region. The photocurrent generated in the heterojunction, due to the SWIR photons absorption, is drifted to the surface of the InP, thus modulating the electric field distribution which modifies the orientation of the LC molecules. This device can be attractive for SWIR to visible image upconversion, such as for uncooled night vision goggles under low ambient light conditions.

  19. Multi-color and artistic dithering

    OpenAIRE

    Ostromoukhov, Victor; Hersch, Roger D.

    1999-01-01

    A multi-color dithering algorithm is proposed, which converts a barycentric combination of color intensities into a multi-color non-overlapping surface coverage. Multi-color dithering is a generalization of standard bi-level dithering. Combined with tetrahedral color separation, multi-color dithering makes it possible to print images made of a set of non-standard inks. In contrast to most previous color halftoning methods, multi-color dithering ensures by construction that the different selec...

  20. Infrared to near-infrared and visible upconversion mechanisms in LiYF 4: Yb3+, Ho3+

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martín-Rodríguez, R.; Meijerink, A.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/075044986

    2014-01-01

    Upconversion materials have regained interest in recent years due to their potential to enhance the efficiency of solar cells. The research has focused on lanthanide based upconverters, especially Er3+- and Yb 3+-doped materials. In this paper we report Ho3+ and Yb3+ upconversion after excitation

  1. Three-dimensional quick response code based on inkjet printing of upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles for drug anti-counterfeiting

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Minli; Lin, Min; Wang, Shurui; Wang, Xuemin; Zhang, Ge; Hong, Yuan; Dong, Yuqing; Jin, Guorui; Xu, Feng

    2016-05-01

    Medicine counterfeiting is a serious issue worldwide, involving potentially devastating health repercussions. Advanced anti-counterfeit technology for drugs has therefore aroused intensive interest. However, existing anti-counterfeit technologies are associated with drawbacks such as the high cost, complex fabrication process, sophisticated operation and incapability in authenticating drug ingredients. In this contribution, we developed a smart phone recognition based upconversion fluorescent three-dimensional (3D) quick response (QR) code for tracking and anti-counterfeiting of drugs. We firstly formulated three colored inks incorporating upconversion nanoparticles with RGB (i.e., red, green and blue) emission colors. Using a modified inkjet printer, we printed a series of colors by precisely regulating the overlap of these three inks. Meanwhile, we developed a multilayer printing and splitting technology, which significantly increases the information storage capacity per unit area. As an example, we directly printed the upconversion fluorescent 3D QR code on the surface of drug capsules. The 3D QR code consisted of three different color layers with each layer encoded by information of different aspects of the drug. A smart phone APP was designed to decode the multicolor 3D QR code, providing the authenticity and related information of drugs. The developed technology possesses merits in terms of low cost, ease of operation, high throughput and high information capacity, thus holds great potential for drug anti-counterfeiting.Medicine counterfeiting is a serious issue worldwide, involving potentially devastating health repercussions. Advanced anti-counterfeit technology for drugs has therefore aroused intensive interest. However, existing anti-counterfeit technologies are associated with drawbacks such as the high cost, complex fabrication process, sophisticated operation and incapability in authenticating drug ingredients. In this contribution, we developed a

  2. Yb3+ sensitized Tm3+ upconversion in tellurite lead oxide glass.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohanty, Deepak Kumar; Rai, Vineet Kumar; Dwivedi, Y

    2012-04-01

    Triply ionized thulium/thulium--ytterbium doped/codoped TeO2-Pb3O4 (TPO) glasses have been fabricated by classical quenching method. The upconversion emission spectra in the Tm3+/Tm3+-Yb3+ doped/codoped glasses upon excitation with a diode laser lasing at ∼980 nm has been studied. Effect of the addition of the Yb3+ on the upconversion emission intensity in the visible and near infrared regions of the Tm3+ doped in TPO glass has been studied and the processes involved explored. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Upconversion studies in rare earth ions-doped lanthanide materials

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-08

    Feb 8, 2014 ... studied samples in order to get the visible upconversion emission on 976 nm excitation. References. [1] F Azuel, Chem. Rev. 104, 139 (2004). [2] W M Yen, S Shionoya and H Yamamoto (eds), Practical applications of phosphors (CRC. Press, Taylor and Francis Group, 2006). [3] F Wang and X Liu, Chem.

  4. Magnetic nanosensor particles in luminescence upconversion capability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilhelm, Stefan; Hirsch, Thomas; Scheucher, Elisabeth; Mayr, Torsten; Wolfbeis, Otto S

    2011-09-05

    Nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit interesting size-dependent electrical, optical, magnetic, and chemical properties that cannot be observed in their bulk counterparts. The synthesis of NPs (i.e., crystalline particles ranging in size from 1 to 100 nm) has been intensely studied in the past decades. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) form a particularly attractive class of NPs and have found numerous applications such as in magnetic resonance imaging to visualize cancer, cardiovascular, neurological and other diseases. Other uses include drug targeting, tissue imaging, magnetic immobilization, hyperthermia, and magnetic resonance imaging. MNPs, due to their magnetic properties, can be easily separated from (often complex) matrices and manipulated by applying external magnetic field. Near-infrared to visible upconversion luminescent nanoparticles (UCLNPs) form another type of unusual nanoparticles. They are capable of emitting visible light upon NIR light excitation. Lanthanide-doped (Yb, Er) hexagonal NaYF₄ UCLNPs are the most efficient upconversion phosphors known up to now. The use of UCLNPs for in vitro imaging of cancer cells and in vivo imaging in tissues has been demonstrated. UCLNPs show great potential as a new class of luminophores for biological, biomedical, and sensor applications. We are reporting here on our first results on the combination of MNP and UCLNP technology within an ongoing project supported by the DFG and the FWF (Austria).

  5. Sensing Using Rare-Earth-Doped Upconversion Nanoparticles

    OpenAIRE

    Hao, Shuwei; Chen, Guanying; Yang, Chunhui

    2013-01-01

    Optical sensing plays an important role in theranostics due to its capability to detect hint biochemical entities or molecular targets as well as to precisely monitor specific fundamental psychological processes. Rare-earth (RE) doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising for these endeavors due to their unique frequency converting capability; they emit efficient and sharp visible or ultraviolet (UV) luminescence via use of ladder-like energy levels of RE ions when excited at near ...

  6. Infrared up-conversion microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2014-01-01

    There is presented an up-conversion infrared microscope (110) arranged for imaging an associated object (130), wherein the up-conversion infrared microscope (110) comprises a non-linear crystal (120) arranged for up-conversion of infrared electromagnetic radiation, and wherein an objective optical...

  7. Infrared up-conversion telescope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2014-01-01

    There is presented to an up-conversion infrared telescope (110) arranged for imaging an associated scene (130), wherein the up-conversion infrared telescope (110) comprises a non-linear crystal (120) arranged for up-conversion of infrared electromagnetic radiation, and wherein a first optical...

  8. Energy transfer and infrared-to-visible upconversion luminescence of Er3+/Yb3+-codoped halide modified tellurite glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Q.Y.; Feng, Z.M.; Yang, Z.M.; Jiang, Z.H.

    2006-01-01

    We report on the energy transfer and frequency upconversion spectroscopic properties of Er 3+ -doped and Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped TeO 2 -ZnO-Na 2 O-PbCl 2 halide modified tellurite glasses upon excitation with 808 and 978 nm laser diode. Three intense emissions centered at around 529, 546 and 657 nm, alongwith a very weak blue emission at 410 nm have clearly been observed for the Er 3+ /Yb 3+ -codoped halide modified tellurite glasses upon excitation at 978 nm and the involved mechanisms are explained. The quadratic dependence of fluorescence on excitation laser power confirms the fact that the two-photon contribute to the infrared to green-red upconversion emissions. And the blue upconversion at 410 nm involved a sequential three-photon absorption process

  9. Spectral evidence for multi-pathway contribution to the upconversion pathway in NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ phosphors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Youngho; Song, Si Won; Lim, Soo Yeong; Kim, Jae Hun; Park, Chan Ryang; Kim, Hyung Min

    2017-03-08

    Although upconversion phosphors have been widely used in nanomedicine, laser engineering, bioimaging, and solar cell technology, the upconversion luminescence mechanism of the phosphors has been fiercely debated. A comprehensive understanding of upconversion photophysics has been significantly impeded because the number of photons incorporated in the process in different competitive pathways could not be resolved. Few convincing results to estimate the contribution of each of the two-, three-, and four-photon channels of near-infrared (NIR) energy have been reported in yielding upconverted visible luminescence. In this study, we present the energy upconversion process occurring in NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ phosphors as a function of excitation frequency and power density. We investigated the upconversion mechanism of lanthanide phosphors by comparing UV/VIS one-photon excitation spectra and NIR multi-photon spectra. A detailed analysis of minor transitions in one-photon spectra and luminescence decay enables us to assign electronic origins of individual bands in multi-photon upconversion luminescence and provides characteristic transitions representing the corresponding upconversion channel. Furthermore, we estimated the quantitative contribution of multiple channels with respect to irradiation power and excitation energy.

  10. Fabrication of Up-Conversion Phosphor Films on Flexible Substrates Using a Nanostructured Organo-Silicon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeon, Young-Sun; Kim, Tae-Un; Kim, Seon-Hoon; Lee, Young-Hwan; Choi, Pil-Son; Hwang, Kyu-Seog

    2018-03-01

    Up-conversion phosphors have attracted considerable attention because of their applications in solid-state lasers, optical communications, flat-panel displays, photovoltaic cells, and biological labels. Among them, NaYF4 is reported as one of the most efficient hosts for infrared to visible photon up-conversion of Yb3+ and Er3+ ions. However, a low-temperature method is required for industrial scale fabrication of photonic and optoelectronic devices on flexible organic substrates. In this study, hexagonal β-NaYF4: 3 mol% Yb3+, 3 mol% Er3+ up-conversion phosphor using Ca2+ was prepared by chemical solution method. Then, we synthesized a nanostructured organo-silicon compound from methyl tri-methoxysilane and 3-glycidoxy-propyl-trimethoxy-silane. The transmittance of the organo-silicon compound was found to be over 90% in the wavelength range of 400~1500 nm. Then we prepared a fluoride-based phosphor paste by mixing the organo-silicon compound with Na(Ca)YF4:Yb3+, Er3+. Subsequently, this paste was coated on polyethylene terephthalate, followed by heat-treatment at 120 °C. The visible emission of the infrared detection card was found to be at 655 nm and 661 nm an excitation wavelength of 980 nm.

  11. Light-Emitting Photon-Upconversion Nanoparticles in the Generation of Transdermal Reactive-Oxygen Species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prieto, Martin; Rwei, Alina Y; Alejo, Teresa; Wei, Tuo; Lopez-Franco, Maria Teresa; Mendoza, Gracia; Sebastian, Victor; Kohane, Daniel S; Arruebo, Manuel

    2017-12-06

    Common photosensitizers used in photodynamic therapy do not penetrate the skin effectively. In addition, the visible blue and red lights used to excite such photosensitizers have shallow penetration depths through tissue. To overcome these limitations, we have synthesized ultraviolet- and visible-light-emitting, energy-transfer-based upconversion nanoparticles and coencapsulated them inside PLGA-PEG (methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) nanoparticles with the photosensitizer protoporphyrin IX. Nd 3+ has been introduced as a sensitizer in the upconversion nanostructure to allow its excitation at 808 nm. The subcytotoxic doses of the hybrid nanoparticles have been evaluated on different cell lines (i.e., fibroblasts, HaCaT, THP-1 monocytic cell line, U251MG (glioblastoma cell line), and mMSCs (murine mesenchymal stem cells). Upon NIR (near infrared)-light excitation, the upconversion nanoparticles emitted UV and VIS light, which consequently activated the generation of reactive-oxygen species (ROS). In addition, after irradiating at 808 nm, the resulting hybrid nanoparticles containing both upconversion nanoparticles and protoporphyrin IX generated 3.4 times more ROS than PLGA-PEG nanoparticles containing just the same dose of protoporphyrin IX. Their photodynamic effect was also assayed on different cell cultures, demonstrating their efficacy in selectively killing treated and irradiated cells. Compared to the topical application of the free photosensitizer, enhanced skin permeation and penetration were observed for the nanoparticulate formulation, using an ex vivo human-skin-permeation experiment. Whereas free protoporphyrin IX remained located at the outer layer of the skin, nanoparticle-encapsulated protoporphyrin IX was able to penetrate through the epidermal layer slightly into the dermis.

  12. Enhanced green upconversion by controlled ceramization of Er3+–Yb3+ co-doped sodium niobium tellurite glass–ceramics for low temperature sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suresh Kumar, J.; Pavani, K.; Graça, M.P.F.; Soares, M.J.

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Upconversion luminescence improved in glass–ceramics compared to host glass. • Judd–Ofelt and radiative parameters calculated. • NIR decay curve results concur the results of improved luminescence. • Temperature dependent upconversion support the use of materials for sensors. - Abstract: Tellurite based glasses are well-known for their upconversion properties besides having a disadvantage of low mechanical strength dragging them away from practical applications. The present work deals with preparation of sodium niobium tellurite (SNT) glasses using melt quenching method, in which small quantities of boron and silicon in the form of oxides are added to improve their mechanical properties. Controlled heat treatment is performed to ceramize the prepared glasses based on the thermal data given by DTA. XRD and SEM profiles of the glass–ceramics which confirmed the formation of crystalline monoclinic Sodium Tellurium Niobium Oxide (Na 1.4 Nb 3 Te 4.9 O 18 ) phase (JCPDS card No. 04–011-7556). Upconversion measurements in the visible region were made for the prepared Er 3+ –Yb 3+ co-doped glasses and glass–ceramics with 980 nm laser excitation varying the laser power and concentration of Er 3+ ions. Results showed that the upconversion luminescence intensity was enhanced by ten times in SNT glass–ceramics compared to that in the SNT glasses. Decay curves give evidence of high performance of glass–ceramics compared to glasses due to ceramization and structural changes. Temperature dependent visible upconversion was performed to test the ability of efficient SNT glass–ceramic at low temperatures and variation of upconversion intensities was studied

  13. Violet and visible up-conversion emission in Yb{sup 3+}-Ho{sup 3+} co-doped germanium-borate glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yang Yanmin, E-mail: mihuyym@163.co [College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University, Baoding 071002 (China); Zhang Meixin [Forensic Science Lab, Hebei University, Baoding 071002 (China); Yang Zhiping [College of Physics Science and Technology, Hebei University, Baoding 071002 (China); Fu Zuoling [Key Laboratory of Coherent Light, Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy, College of physics, Jilin University, Ministry of Education, Changchun 130023 (China)

    2010-10-15

    The up-conversion emission properties of Yb{sup 3+}-Ho{sup 3+} co-doped germanium-borate glasses have been investigated with 980 nm excitation. The violet, blue, green and red emission bands at about 350, 485, 544 and 653 nm can be identified, respectively. Experimental results indicated that the relative intensity ratios of the peaks I{sub Red}/I{sub Green} increased with increasing B{sub 2}O{sub 3} concentration, which led to changing color of up-conversion emission from green at x=0 to yellow at x=40, to red at x=60. The violet emission at 350 nm was first reported in germanium-borate glass host and up-conversion mechanisms of the emissions were discussed. The Yb{sup 3+}-Ho{sup 3+} co-doped germanium-borate glasses could be an alternative for the generation of violet and primary colors for application in solid-state displays.

  14. Tunable multicolor and enhanced red emission of monodisperse CaF2:Yb3+/Ho3+ microspheres via Mn2+ doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Rui; Yuan, Maohui; Zhang, Chaofan; Wang, Hongyan; Xu, Xiaojun

    2018-05-01

    Transition metal ions (e.g. Mn2+) and lanthanide co-doped upconversion (UC) materials have attracted wide attention in recent years due to their promising application in multicolor display. Here, we report the hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Mn2+ doped monodisperse CaF2:Yb3+/Ho3+ microspheres. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed that Mn2+ doping does not change the cubic phase of CaF2 material but will lead to diffraction peaks shifting slightly towards higher angle due to the substitution of larger Ca2+ by the relatively smaller Mn2+. Under the excitation of 980 nm continuous wave (CW) laser, these microspheres exhibit green-yellow-red tuning colors and remarkable enhancement of both red to green ratio (R/G) and red to blue ratio (R/B) when increasing Mn2+ concentration from 0 to 30 mol%. The energy migration process between Ho3+ and Mn2+ was proposed and supported by time-decay and power dependence measurements of Ho3+ UC emission. These upconversion materials may have potential applications in optical devices, color display, nanoscale lasers and biomedical imaging.

  15. Frequency upconversion in Er3+ doped tungsten tellurite glass containing Ag nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahajan, S. K.; Parashar, J.

    2018-05-01

    The frequency upconversion emission in Er3+ doped TeO2-WO3-Li2O containing Ag nanoparticle (TWLEOAG) glasses at 980nm excitation is reported. The absorption spectra reveal not only the peaks due to Er3+ ions, but also the surface plasmon resonance band of silver NPs located around 525nm and 650 nm. The spherical AgNPs with average size ˜38 nm in the glassy matrix is evidenced from the TEM measurement. Under 980nm laser excitation upconversion emission spectra show two major emission at 550nm and 638nm originating from 4S3/2 and 4F9/2 energy levels of the Er3+ ions, respectively was observed. Upconversion emission enhancement factor 7 fold has been measured for sample heat treated during 40h. However for 18h heat treated TWLEOAG sample under 980 nm flash lamp excitation produced Intense green compare to red emission. Since the 980nm frequency is far from the AgNPs surface plasmon resonance frequency, visible emission ehancement is attributed to local field increase in proximity of the Ag NPs and not energy tranfer from NPs to emitters. Possible energy transfer upconversion mechanism has been also discussed.

  16. Microwave hydrothermal synthesis and upconversion properties of Yb3+/Er3+ doped YVO4 nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kshetri, Yuwaraj K; Regmi, Chhabilal; Kim, Hak-Soo; Lee, Soo Wohn; Kim, Tae-Ho

    2018-05-18

    Yb 3+ and Er 3+ doped YVO 4 (Yb 3+ /Er 3+ :YVO 4 ) nanoparticles with highly efficient near-infrared to visible upconversion properties have been synthesized by microwave hydrothermal process. Uniform-sized Yb 3+ /Er 3+ :YVO 4 nanoparticles were synthesized within 1 h at 140 °C which is relatively faster than the conventional hydrothermal process. Under 980 nm laser excitation, strong green and less strong red emissions are observed which are attributed to 2 H 11/2 , 4 S 3/2 to 4 I 15/2 and 4 F 9/2 to 4 I 15/2 transitions of Er 3+ respectively. The emission intensity is found to depend strongly on the concentration of Yb 3+ . The quadratic dependence of upconversion intensity on the excitation power indicates that the upconversion process is governed by two-photon absorption process.

  17. Microwave hydrothermal synthesis and upconversion properties of Yb3+/Er3+ doped YVO4 nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kshetri, Yuwaraj K.; Regmi, Chhabilal; Kim, Hak-Soo; Wohn Lee, Soo; Kim, Tae-Ho

    2018-05-01

    Yb3+ and Er3+ doped YVO4 (Yb3+/Er3+:YVO4) nanoparticles with highly efficient near-infrared to visible upconversion properties have been synthesized by microwave hydrothermal process. Uniform-sized Yb3+/Er3+:YVO4 nanoparticles were synthesized within 1 h at 140 °C which is relatively faster than the conventional hydrothermal process. Under 980 nm laser excitation, strong green and less strong red emissions are observed which are attributed to 2H11/2, 4S3/2 to 4I15/2 and 4F9/2 to 4I15/2 transitions of Er3+ respectively. The emission intensity is found to depend strongly on the concentration of Yb3+. The quadratic dependence of upconversion intensity on the excitation power indicates that the upconversion process is governed by two-photon absorption process.

  18. Biocompatible Er, Yb co-doped fluoroapatite upconversion nanoparticles for imaging applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anjana, R.; K. M., Kurias; M. K., Jayaraj

    2017-08-01

    Upconversion luminescence, visible emission on infra red (IR) excitation was achieved in a biocompatible material, fluoroapatite. Fluoroapatite crystals are well known biomaterials, which is a component of tooth enamel. Also it can be considered as an excellent host material for lanthanide doping since the ionic radii of lanthanide is similar to that of calcium ion(Ca2+) hence successful incorporation of dopants within the lattice is possible. Erbium (Er), Ytterbium (Yb) co-doped fluorapatite (FAp) nanoparticles were prepared by precipitation method. The particles show intense visible emission when excited with 980 nm laser. Since upconversion luminescence is a multiphoton process the excitation power dependence on emission will give number of photons involved in the emission of single photon. Excitation power dependence studies show that two photons are involved in the emission of single photons. The value of slope was different for different emission peak because of the difference in intermediate energy level involved. The crystal structure and morphology of the particle were determined using X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). These particles with surface functionalisation can be used for live cell imaging.

  19. Multicolor tunable emission induced by Cu ion doping of perovskite zirconate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, D.J. [Department of Physics, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Y.S., E-mail: ylee@ssu.ac.kr [Department of Physics, Soongsil University, Seoul 156-743 (Korea, Republic of); Noh, H.-J. [Department of Physics, Chonnam National University, Gwangju 500-757 (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-01-15

    We report on a multicolor tunable emission induced by Cu ion doping of perovskite zirconate SrZrO{sub 3} with a fairly large bandgap (5.6 eV). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of our samples revealed the existence of two mixed valence states of the doped Cu ions, +1 and +2, with a ratio of 3:1. In photoluminescence excitation spectroscopy the absorption structures of the 3d states in monovalent Cu{sup +} and divalent Cu{sup 2+} were identified near 5 eV and 3.5 eV, respectively. Interestingly, in relation to the valence states of the Cu ions, the emission spectra depended strongly on the photo-excitation energy (E{sub ex}). For E{sub ex}<3.8 eV (UVA) two orange and green emissions were observed with the involvement of the Cu{sup 2+} state. For E{sub ex}>3.8 eV (UVB/UVC), however, the Cu{sup +} state, instead of the Cu{sup 2+} state, was dominant in the emission process, causing the visible emission to be turned into violet. Our results were indicative of the complementary role of the different Cu-ion valence states in a wide range of visible emission with respect to E{sub ex}. - Highlights: • Visible emission induced by the Cu doping of SrZrO3. • Tunable colors from orange to violet with respect to the photo-excitation energy. • Multicolor emission should be related to the mixed valence states of the doped Cu ions.

  20. Enhanced green upconversion by controlled ceramization of Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped sodium niobium tellurite glass–ceramics for low temperature sensors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suresh Kumar, J., E-mail: suresh@ua.pt; Pavani, K.; Graça, M.P.F.; Soares, M.J.

    2014-12-25

    Highlights: • Upconversion luminescence improved in glass–ceramics compared to host glass. • Judd–Ofelt and radiative parameters calculated. • NIR decay curve results concur the results of improved luminescence. • Temperature dependent upconversion support the use of materials for sensors. - Abstract: Tellurite based glasses are well-known for their upconversion properties besides having a disadvantage of low mechanical strength dragging them away from practical applications. The present work deals with preparation of sodium niobium tellurite (SNT) glasses using melt quenching method, in which small quantities of boron and silicon in the form of oxides are added to improve their mechanical properties. Controlled heat treatment is performed to ceramize the prepared glasses based on the thermal data given by DTA. XRD and SEM profiles of the glass–ceramics which confirmed the formation of crystalline monoclinic Sodium Tellurium Niobium Oxide (Na{sub 1.4}Nb{sub 3}Te{sub 4.9}O{sub 18}) phase (JCPDS card No. 04–011-7556). Upconversion measurements in the visible region were made for the prepared Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped glasses and glass–ceramics with 980 nm laser excitation varying the laser power and concentration of Er{sup 3+} ions. Results showed that the upconversion luminescence intensity was enhanced by ten times in SNT glass–ceramics compared to that in the SNT glasses. Decay curves give evidence of high performance of glass–ceramics compared to glasses due to ceramization and structural changes. Temperature dependent visible upconversion was performed to test the ability of efficient SNT glass–ceramic at low temperatures and variation of upconversion intensities was studied.

  1. Controllable synthesis and upconversion emission of ultrasmall near-monodisperse lanthanide-doped Sr2LaF7 nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mao, Yifu; Ma, Mo; Gong, Lunjun; Xu, Changfu; Ren, Guozhong; Yang, Qibin

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Apropos NaOH content facilitates the growth of pure phase Sr 2 LaF 7 NCs. • Yb 3+ doping is favorable to the formation of Sr 2 LaF 7 NCs with uniform size. • Ultrasmall near-monodispersed Sr 2 LaF 7 NCs(sub-10 nm) were synthesized for the first time. • Intense multicolor upconversion can be obtained by properly lanthanide doping. - Abstract: Fluorite phase Sr 2 LaF 7 nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized via solvothermal method using oleic acid as capping ligands. The effects of preparing conditions on the phase structure, crystal size, morphology, and upconversion (UC) emission properties of the products were studied. The results reveal that just apropos NaOH content facilitates the growth of near-monodispersed pure phase Sr 2 LaF 7 NCs, and Yb 3+ doping is favorable to the formation of pure Sr 2 LaF 7 phase with more uniform size distribution. The average crystalline size of the products can be controlled less than 10 nm. Following appropriate lanthanide ions doping, the NCs show intense blue, yellow, and white-color UC emission under the excitation of a 980 nm laser. The energy transfer UC mechanisms for the fluorescent intensity were also investigated

  2. Novel mid-infrared imaging system based on single-mode quantum cascade laser illumination and upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tomko, Jan; Junaid, Saher; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Compared to the visible or near-infrared (NIR) spectral regions, there is a lack of very high sensitivity detectors in the mid-infrared (MIR) that operate near room temperature. Upconversion of the MIR light to NIR light that is imaged using affordable, fast, and sensitive NIR detectors or camera...

  3. Down- and up-conversion emissions in Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} codoped TeO{sub 2}–ZnO–ZnF{sub 2} glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miguel, A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Arriandiaga, M.A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apartado 644, Bilbao (Spain); Morea, R. [Instituto de Optica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Fernandez, J. [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Gonzalo, J. [Instituto de Optica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Balda, R., E-mail: wupbacrr@bi.ehu.es [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain)

    2015-02-15

    In this work, we report the near infrared and upconversion emissions of Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} codoped fluorotellurite TeO{sub 2}–ZnO–ZnF{sub 2} glasses for different YbF{sub 3} concentrations ranging between 0.5 and 2 wt%. The study includes absorption and emission spectra and lifetime measurements for the infrared and visible fluorescence. The energy transfer between Yb{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+} ions is confirmed by the temporal behavior of the near-infrared luminescence of Yb{sup 3+} ions as well as by the enhancement of the 1532 nm emission of Er{sup 3+} ions in the codoped samples. The Yb{sup 3+}→Er{sup 3+} energy transfer efficiency is calculated from the Yb{sup 3+} lifetimes in single and codoped samples. Back transfer from Er{sup 3+} to Yb{sup 3+} ions is present under near infrared and visible excitation of Er{sup 3+} ions at 798 and 488 nm respectively. An enhancement of the visible upconversion fluorescence is also observed in the codoped samples due to energy transfer from Yb{sup 3+} to Er{sup 3+} ions. The standardized value for the efficiency of the green upconversion emission is 1.06×10{sup −4} for the codoped sample with 2 wt% of YbF{sub 3} which is comparable to that reported in lead–zinc–tellurite glasses. The possible upconversion processes and mechanisms leading to the population of several excited levels are discussed. - Highlights: • The effect of Yb{sup 3+} concentration on the NIR and VIS emissions of Er{sup 3+}ions is studied. • TheYb{sup 3+}↔Er{sup 3+} energy transfer in fluorotellurite glasses is demonstrated. • Increase of the green upconversion emission with Yb{sup 3+} concentration due to Yb{sup 3+}→Er{sup 3+} energy transfer. • The ratio of red to green upconversion emissions depends on the concentration of Yb{sup 3+} ions.

  4. NaYF4:Er,Yb/Bi2MoO6 core/shell nanocomposite: A highly efficient visible-light-driven photocatalyst utilizing upconversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun, Yuanyuan; Wang, Wenzhong; Sun, Songmei; Zhang, Ling

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Design and synthesis of NaYF 4 :Er,Yb/Bi 2 MoO 6 based on upconversion. • NaYF 4 :Er,Yb/Bi 2 MoO 6 nanocomposite was prepared for the first time. • Core–shell structure benefits the properties. • Upconversion contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic activity. • Helps to understand the functionality of new type photocatalysts. - Abstract: NaYF 4 :Er,Yb/Bi 2 MoO 6 core/shell nanocomposite was designed and prepared for the first time based on upconversion. The products were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high resolution TEM (HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS). The results revealed that the as-synthesized NaYF 4 :Er,Yb/Bi 2 MoO 6 consisted of spheres with a core diameter of about 26 nm and a shell diameter of around 6 nm. The core was upconversion illuminant NaYF 4 :Er,Yb and the shell was Bi 2 MoO 6 around the core, which was confirmed by EDS. The NaYF 4 :Er,Yb/Bi 2 MoO 6 exhibited higher photocatalytic activity for the photodecomposition of Rhodamine B (RhB) under the irradiation of Xe lamp and green light emitting diode (g-LED). The mechanism of the high photocatalytic activity was discussed by photoluminescence spectra (PL), which is mainly attributed to upconversion of NaYF 4 :Er,Yb in the NaYF 4 :Er,Yb/Bi 2 MoO 6 nanocomposite and the core–shell structure

  5. High-resolution mid-IR spectrometer based on frequency upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hu, Qi; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Pedersen, Christian

    2012-01-01

    We demonstrate a novel approach for high-resolution spectroscopy based on frequency upconversion and postfiltering by means of a scanning Fabryx2013;Perot interferometer. The system is based on sum-frequency mixing, shifting the spectral content from the mid-infrared to the near-visible region al......-frequency 1064xA0;nm laser. We investigate water vapor emission lines from a butane burner and compare the measured results to model data. The presented method we suggest to be used for real-time monitoring of specific gas lines and reference signals....

  6. Covalently Assembled NIR Nanoplatform for Simultaneous Fluorescence Imaging and Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer Cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, Kai; Liu, Xiaomin; Zeng, Qinghui; Zhang, Youlin; Tu, Langping; Liu, Tao; Kong, Xianggui; Wang, Yinghui; Cao, Feng; Lambrechts, Saskia A. G.; Aalders, Maurice C. G.; Zhang, Hong

    2012-01-01

    A highly efficient multifunctional nanoplatform for simultaneous upconversion luminescence (UCL) Imaging and photodynamic therapy has been developed on the basis of selective energy transfer from multicolor luminescent NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to photosensitizers (PS).

  7. Covalently assembled NIR nanoplatform for simultaneous fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy of cancer cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, K.; Liu, X.; Zeng, Q.; Zhang, Y.; Tu, L.; Liu, T.; Kong, X.; Wang, Y.; Cao, F.; Lambrechts, S.A.G.; Aalders, M.C.G.; Zhang, H.

    2012-01-01

    A highly efficient multifunctional nanoplatform for simultaneous upconversion luminescence (UCL) imaging and photodynamic therapy has been developed on the basis of selective energy transfer from multicolor luminescent NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to photosensitizers (PS).

  8. Upconversion in solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    The possibility to tune chemical and physical properties in nanosized materials has a strong impact on a variety of technologies, including photovoltaics. One of the prominent research areas of nanomaterials for photovoltaics involves spectral conversion. Modification of the spectrum requires down- and/or upconversion or downshifting of the spectrum, meaning that the energy of photons is modified to either lower (down) or higher (up) energy. Nanostructures such as quantum dots, luminescent dye molecules, and lanthanide-doped glasses are capable of absorbing photons at a certain wavelength and emitting photons at a different (shorter or longer) wavelength. We will discuss upconversion by lanthanide compounds in various host materials and will further demonstrate upconversion to work for thin-film silicon solar cells. PMID:23413889

  9. Near-infrared deep brain stimulation via upconversion nanoparticle–mediated optogenetics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Shuo; Weitemier, Adam Z.; Zeng, Xiao; He, Linmeng; Wang, Xiyu; Tao, Yanqiu; Huang, Arthur J. Y.; Hashimotodani, Yuki; Kano, Masanobu; Iwasaki, Hirohide; Parajuli, Laxmi Kumar; Okabe, Shigeo; Teh, Daniel B. Loong; All, Angelo H.; Tsutsui-Kimura, Iku; Tanaka, Kenji F.; Liu, Xiaogang; McHugh, Thomas J.

    2018-02-01

    Optogenetics has revolutionized the experimental interrogation of neural circuits and holds promise for the treatment of neurological disorders. It is limited, however, because visible light cannot penetrate deep inside brain tissue. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) absorb tissue-penetrating near-infrared (NIR) light and emit wavelength-specific visible light. Here, we demonstrate that molecularly tailored UCNPs can serve as optogenetic actuators of transcranial NIR light to stimulate deep brain neurons. Transcranial NIR UCNP-mediated optogenetics evoked dopamine release from genetically tagged neurons in the ventral tegmental area, induced brain oscillations through activation of inhibitory neurons in the medial septum, silenced seizure by inhibition of hippocampal excitatory cells, and triggered memory recall. UCNP technology will enable less-invasive optical neuronal activity manipulation with the potential for remote therapy.

  10. Multicolor Scanning Laser Imaging in Diabetic Retinopathy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad, Mohammad S Z; Carrim, Zia Iqbal

    2017-11-01

    Diabetic retinopathy is a common cause of blindness in individuals younger than 60 years. Screening for retinopathy is undertaken using conventional color fundus photography and relies on the identification of hemorrhages, vascular abnormalities, exudates, and cotton-wool spots. These can sometimes be difficult to identify. Multicolor scanning laser imaging, a new imaging modality, may have a role in improving screening outcomes, as well as facilitating treatment decisions. Observational case series comprising two patients with known diabetes who were referred for further examination after color fundus photography revealed abnormal findings. Multicolor scanning laser imaging was undertaken. Features of retinal disease from each modality were compared. Multicolor scanning laser imaging provides superior visualization of retinal anatomy and pathology, thereby facilitating risk stratification and treatment decisions. Multicolor scanning laser imaging is a novel imaging technique offering the potential for improving the reliability of screening for diabetic retinopathy. Validation studies are warranted.

  11. Effect of Er3+ Concentration on Upconversion in Hexagonal-Phase NaYF4:Er3+ Nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Luo, X J; Yuminami, R; Sakurai, T; Akimoto, K

    2013-01-01

    A facile synthesis method was developed to produce hexagonal-phase of NaYF 4 nanocrystals (NCs) doped with Er 3+ in different concentration, which showed upconversion (UC) emission from infrared to visible spectral region. This proposed method is simple and less toxic compared with generally used method so far. It was found that up-conversion emission spectra of NaYF 4 :Er 3+ NCs, excited at 1550 nm, included four peaks at about 980 nm, 800 nm, 660 nm and 540 nm. The effect of Er 3+ concentration on UC in β-phase NaYF 4 :Er 3+ NCs were discussed based on the excitation power dependence. The optimum Er 3+ concentration for 2-step and 3-step UC was found to be around 10∼30%.

  12. Photon up-conversion increases biomass yield in Chlorella vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menon, Kavya R; Jose, Steffi; Suraishkumar, Gadi K

    2014-12-01

    Photon up-conversion, a process whereby lower energy radiations are converted to higher energy levels via the use of appropriate phosphor systems, was employed as a novel strategy for improving microalgal growth and lipid productivity. Photon up-conversion enables the utilization of regions of the solar spectrum, beyond the typical photosynthetically active radiation, that are usually wasted or are damaging to the algae. The effects of up-conversion of red light by two distinct sets of up-conversion phosphors were studied in the model microalgae Chlorella vulgaris. Up-conversion by set 1 phosphors led to a 2.85 fold increase in biomass concentration and a 3.2 fold increase in specific growth rate of the microalgae. While up-conversion by set 2 phosphors resulted in a 30% increase in biomass and 12% increase in specific intracellular neutral lipid, while the specific growth rates were comparable to that of the control. Furthermore, up-conversion resulted in higher levels of specific intracellular reactive oxygen species in C. vulgaris. Up-conversion of red light (654 nm) was shown to improve biomass yields in C. vulgaris. In principle, up-conversion can be used to increase the utilization range of the electromagnetic spectrum for improved cultivation of photosynthetic systems such as plants, algae, and microalgae. Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. The Intersection of CMOS Microsystems and Upconversion Nanoparticles for Luminescence Bioimaging and Bioassays

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liping Wei

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Organic fluorophores and quantum dots are ubiquitous as contrast agents for bio-imaging and as labels in bioassays to enable the detection of biological targets and processes. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs offer a different set of opportunities as labels in bioassays and for bioimaging. UCNPs are excited at near-infrared (NIR wavelengths where biological molecules are optically transparent, and their luminesce in the visible and ultraviolet (UV wavelength range is suitable for detection using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS technology. These nanoparticles provide multiple sharp emission bands, long lifetimes, tunable emission, high photostability, and low cytotoxicity, which render them particularly useful for bio-imaging applications and multiplexed bioassays. This paper surveys several key concepts surrounding upconversion nanoparticles and the systems that detect and process the corresponding luminescence signals. The principle of photon upconversion, tuning of emission wavelengths, UCNP bioassays, and UCNP time-resolved techniques are described. Electronic readout systems for signal detection and processing suitable for UCNP luminescence using CMOS technology are discussed. This includes recent progress in miniaturized detectors, integrated spectral sensing, and high-precision time-domain circuits. Emphasis is placed on the physical attributes of UCNPs that map strongly to the technical features that CMOS devices excel in delivering, exploring the interoperability between the two technologies.

  14. Microbubble embedded with upconversion nanoparticles as a bimodal contrast agent for fluorescence and ultrasound imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jin, Birui; Lin, Min; You, Minli; Xu, Feng; Lu, Tianjian; Zong, Yujin; Wan, Mingxi; Duan, Zhenfeng

    2015-01-01

    Bimodal imaging offers additional imaging signal thus finds wide spread application in clinical diagnostic imaging. Fluorescence/ultrasound bimodal imaging contrast agent using fluorescent dyes or quantum dots for fluorescence signal has emerged as a promising method, which however requires visible light or UV irradiation resulting in photobleaching, photoblinking, auto-fluorescence and limited tissue penetration depth. To surmount these problems, we developed a novel bimodal contrast agent using layer-by-layer assembly of upconversion nanoparticles onto the surface of microbubbles. The resulting microbubbles with average size of 2 μm provide enhanced ultrasound echo for ultrasound imaging and upconversion emission upon near infrared irradiation for fluorescence imaging. The developed bimodal contrast agent holds great potential to be applied in ultrasound target technique for targeted diseases diagnostics and therapy. (paper)

  15. Ho3+-Yb3+ codoped tellurite based glasses in visible lasers and optical devices: Judd-Ofelt analysis and frequency upconversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azam, Mohd; Rai, Vineet Kumar

    2017-04-01

    The optical absorption and frequency upconversion emission in the Ho3+/Yb3+ codoped TeO2-ZnO (TZ), TeO2-ZnO-WO3 (TZW) and TeO2-ZnO-WO3-TiO2 (TZWTi) glasses prepared by melting and quenching method has been studied. Judd-Ofelt theory has been used to calculate the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters (Ω2, Ω4 and Ω6), transition probabilities, radiative lifetimes, absorption cross sections and the branching ratios. Upconversion (UC) emission bands centered at ∼ 549 nm, ∼658 nm and ∼754 nm are observed upon 980 nm excitation. On codoping with the Yb3+ ions at 3.0 mol% the upconversion emission intensity enhancement of about ∼57 times, ∼342 times and ∼480 times for the green band whereas for the red band arising from the Ho3+ ions it is about ∼71 times, ∼438 times and ∼707 times respectively have been observed. The enhancement observed in the UC emission intensity is explained on the basis of efficient energy transfer from Yb3+ to Ho3+, larger absorption cross section, larger oscillator strengths and increase in the local field corrections factor. The spectroscopic quality factor Ω4/Ω6 has been calculated to get the information about the developed materials for laser applications. The upconversion emission cross section determined on the basis of Judd-Ofelt analysis is found to be maximum for Ho-Yb-TZWTi glass. The nephelauxetic ratio, bonding and covalency parameters have been calculated to know the nature of bonding between the rare earth ions and neighbouring oxygen atoms. The high color purity 83.8% has been reported in the codoped glasses at ∼81.2 W/cm2 pump power density.

  16. Multicolor fluorescent biosensor for multiplexed detection of DNA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Rong; Liu, Tao; Zhang, Xiao-Bing; Huan, Shuang-Yan; Wu, Cuichen; Fu, Ting; Tan, Weihong

    2014-05-20

    Development of efficient methods for highly sensitive and rapid screening of specific oligonucleotide sequences is essential to the early diagnosis of serious diseases. In this work, an aggregated cationic perylene diimide (PDI) derivative was found to efficiently quench the fluorescence emission of a variety of anionic oligonucleotide-labeled fluorophores that emit at wavelengths from the visible to NIR region. This broad-spectrum quencher was then adopted to develop a multicolor biosensor via a label-free approach for multiplexed fluorescent detection of DNA. The aggregated perylene derivative exhibits a very high quenching efficiency on all ssDNA-labeled dyes associated with biosensor detection, having efficiency values of 98.3 ± 0.9%, 97 ± 1.1%, and 98.2 ± 0.6% for FAM, TAMRA, and Cy5, respectively. An exonuclease-assisted autocatalytic target recycling amplification was also integrated into the sensing system. High quenching efficiency combined with autocatalytic target recycling amplification afforded the biosensor with high sensitivity toward target DNA, resulting in a detection limit of 20 pM, which is about 50-fold lower than that of traditional unamplified homogeneous fluorescent assay methods. The quencher did not interfere with the catalytic activity of nuclease, and the biosensor could be manipulated in either preaddition or postaddition manner with similar sensitivity. Moreover, the proposed sensing system allows for simultaneous and multicolor analysis of several oligonucleotides in homogeneous solution, demonstrating its potential application in the rapid screening of multiple biotargets.

  17. Light-Harvesting Organic Nanocrystals Capable of Photon Upconversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Li; Zeng, Yi; Yu, Tianjun; Chen, Jinping; Yang, Guoqiang; Li, Yi

    2017-11-23

    Harvesting and converting low energy photons into higher ones through upconversion have great potential in solar energy conversion. A light-harvesting nanocrystal assembled from 9,10-distyrylanthracene and palladium(II) meso-tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin as the acceptor and the sensitizer, respectively effects red-to-green upconversion under incoherent excitation of low power density. An upconversion quantum yield of 0.29±0.02 % is obtained upon excitation with 640 nm laser of 120 mW cm -2 . The well-organized packing of acceptor molecules with aggregation-induced emission in the nanocrystals dramatically reduces the nonradiative decay of the excited acceptor, benefits the triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion and guides the consequent upconverted emission. This work provides a straightforward strategy to develop light-harvesting nanocrystals based on TTA upconversion, which is attractive for energy conversion and photonic applications. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Visible and near infrared up-conversion luminescence in Yb3+/Tm3+ co-doped yttria-alumino-silicate glass based optical fibers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Halder, Arindam; Chandra Paul, Mukul; Wadi Harun, Sulaiman; Kumar Bhadra, Shyamal; Bysakh, Sandip; Das, Shyamal; Pal, Mrinmay

    2013-01-01

    We report blue light up-conversion (UC) emission in Yb–Tm co-doped nano-phase separated yttria-alumino-silicate (YAS) glass based D-shaped with low-index cladding optical fibers. Y 2 O 3 creates an environment of nano structured YAS glass phases with Yb and Tm rich zone into the core glass which confirmed from TEM analyses. This kind of glass host assists in distributing of Yb and Tm rich zone uniformly throughout the core region. Yb and Tm doped regions exist mainly into nano YAS phases, defined as RE rich nano YAS-RE phases. All samples exhibit UC luminescence peaks at 483 nm, 650 nm and 817 nm for Tm 3+ and 1044 nm for Yb 3+ under excitation by 975 nm laser light. In such type of nano-engineered glass–ceramic based host, almost all the Yb ions transferred its energy to the nearer Tm ions. In particular 483 nm emission is attributed to 1 G 4 → 3 H 6 transition through a three step resonance energy transfer (ET) from excited Yb 3+ . The highest emission intensity is obtained with a concentration of 0.5 wt% Tm 3+ and 2.0 wt% Yb 3+ . The ET between Yb 3+ and Tm 3+ is increased with increase of Yb 3+ concentration with respect to Tm 3+ . The experimental fluorescence life-times of Tm 3+ upconversion emission at visible wavelengths into such kind of fiber is reported under 975 nm pump excitation. The present study is important for development of an efficient tunable 483 nm fluorescence light source. -- Highlights: • We report nano-phase separated YAS glass host based Yb–Tm co-doped optical fibers. • Almost all the Yb transferred its energy to the neighboring Tm ions. • We report strong UC luminescence peaks at 483 nm and 817 nm wavelengths. • We report third ET coefficient as 1.6723 Hz for such kind of Yb–Tm codoped fiber. • We report suitable fiber as an efficient tunable 483 nm fluorescence light source

  19. Near diffraction limited mid-IR spectromicroscopy using frequency upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanders, Nicolai Højer; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2014-01-01

    morphological and spectral imaging. Recent developments in nonlinear frequency upconversion, have demonstrated the potential to perform both imaging and spectroscopy in the mid-IR range at unparalleled low levels of illumination, the low upconversion detector noise being orders of magnitude below competing...... technologies. With these applications in mind, we have incorporated microscopy optics into an image upconversion system, achieving near diffraction limited spatial resolution in the 3 μm range. Spectroscopic information is further acquired by appropriate control of the phase match condition of the upconversion...

  20. Tetherless near-infrared control of brain activity in behaving animals using fully implantable upconversion microdevices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ying; Lin, Xudong; Chen, Xi; Chen, Xian; Xu, Zhen; Zhang, Wenchong; Liao, Qinghai; Duan, Xin; Wang, Xin; Liu, Ming; Wang, Feng; He, Jufang; Shi, Peng

    2017-10-01

    Many nanomaterials can be used as sensors or transducers in biomedical research and they form the essential components of transformative novel biotechnologies. In this study, we present an all-optical method for tetherless remote control of neural activity using fully implantable micro-devices based on upconversion technology. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were used as transducers to convert near-infrared (NIR) energy to visible light in order to stimulate neurons expressing different opsin proteins. In our setup, UCNPs were packaged in a glass micro-optrode to form an implantable device with superb long-term biocompatibility. We showed that remotely applied NIR illumination is able to reliably trigger spiking activity in rat brains. In combination with a robotic laser projection system, the upconversion-based tetherless neural stimulation technique was implemented to modulate brain activity in various regions, including the striatum, ventral tegmental area, and visual cortex. Using this system, we were able to achieve behavioral conditioning in freely moving animals. Notably, our microscale device was at least one order of magnitude smaller in size (∼100 μm in diameter) and two orders of magnitude lighter in weight (less than 1 mg) than existing wireless optogenetic devices based on light-emitting diodes. This feature allows simultaneous implantation of multiple UCNP-optrodes to achieve modulation of brain function to control complex animal behavior. We believe that this technology not only represents a novel practical application of upconversion nanomaterials, but also opens up new possibilities for remote control of neural activity in the brains of behaving animals. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Plasmon-enhanced energy transfer for improved upconversion of infrared radiation in doped-lanthanide nanocrystals

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Qi; Mundoor, Haridas; Ribot, Josep; Singh, Vivek; Smalyukh, Ivan; Nagpal, Prashant

    2014-03-01

    Upconversion of infrared radiation into visible light has been investigated for applications in biological imaging and photovoltaics. However, low conversion efficiency due to small absorption cross-section for infrared light (Yb3+) , and slow rate of energy transfer (to Er3+ states) has prevented application of upconversion photoluminescence (UPL) for diffuse sunlight or imaging tissue samples. Here, we utilize resonant surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) waves to enhance UPL in doped-lanthanide nanocrystals. Our analysis indicates that SPP waves not only enhance the electromagnetic field, and hence weak Purcell effect, but also increases the rate of resonant energy transfer from Yb3+ to Er3+ ions by 6 fold. While we do observe strong metal mediated quenching (14 fold) of green fluorescence on flat metal surfaces, the nanostructured metal is resonant in the infrared, and hence enhances the nanocrystal UPL. This strong columbic effect on energy transfer can have important implications for other fluorescent and excitonic systems too.

  2. Plasmon-enhanced energy transfer for improved upconversion of infrared radiation in doped-lanthanide nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Qi-C; Mundoor, Haridas; Ribot, Josep C; Singh, Vivek; Smalyukh, Ivan I; Nagpal, Prashant

    2014-01-08

    Upconversion of infrared radiation into visible light has been investigated for applications in photovoltaics and biological imaging. However, low conversion efficiency due to small absorption cross-section for infrared light (Yb(3+)), and slow rate of energy transfer (to Er(3+) states) has prevented application of upconversion photoluminescence (UPL) for diffuse sunlight or imaging tissue samples. Here, we utilize resonant surface plasmon polaritons (SPP) waves to enhance UPL in doped-lanthanide nanocrystals. Our analysis indicates that SPP waves not only enhance the electromagnetic field, and hence weak Purcell effect, but also increase the rate of resonant energy transfer from Yb(3+) to Er(3+) ions by 6 fold. While we do observe strong metal mediated quenching (14-fold) of green fluorescence on flat metal surfaces, the nanostructured metal is resonant in the infrared and hence enhances the nanocrystal UPL. This strong Coulombic effect on energy transfer can have important implications for other fluorescent and excitonic systems too.

  3. Recent advances in design and fabrication of upconversion nanoparticles and their safe theranostic applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Zhanjun; Yan, Liang; Tian, Gan; Li, Shoujian; Chai, Zhifang; Zhao, Yuliang

    2013-07-26

    Lanthanide (Ln) doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have attracted enormous attention in the recent years due to their unique upconversion luminescent properties that enable the conversion of low-energy photons (near infrared photons) into high-energy photons (visible to ultraviolet photons) via the multiphoton processes. This feature makes them ideal for bioimaging applications with attractive advantages such as no autofluorescence from biotissues and a large penetration depth. In addition, by incorporating advanced features, such as specific targeting, multimodality imaging and therapeutic delivery, the application of UCNPs has been dramatically expanded. In this review, we first summarize the recent developments in the fabrication strategies of UCNPs with the desired size, enhanced and tunable upconversion luminescence, as well as the combined multifunctionality. We then discuss the chemical methods applied for UCNPs surface functionalization to make these UCNPs biocompatible and water-soluble, and further highlight some representative examples of using UCNPs for in vivo bioimaging, NIR-triggered drug/gene delivery applications and photodynamic therapy. In the perspectives, we discuss the need of systematically nanotoxicology data for rational designs of UCNPs materials, their surface chemistry in safer biomedical applications. The UCNPs can actually provide an ideal multifunctionalized platform for solutions to many key issues in the front of medical sciences such as theranostics, individualized therapeutics, multimodality medicine, etc. Copyright © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Optical characterization, 1.5 μm emission and IR-to-visible energy upconversion in Er3+-doped fluorotellurite glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez-Mendoza, U.R.; Lalla, E.A.; Caceres, J.M.; Rivera-Lopez, F.; Leon-Luis, S.F.; Lavin, V.

    2011-01-01

    The optical properties of Er 3+ ions in a novel glass based on TeO 2 -PbF 2 -AlF 3 oxyfluoride tellurites have been investigated using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopies as a function of the rare-earth doping concentration. Basic optical characterizations have been performed measuring and calculating the absorption and emission spectra and the cross-sections, the Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, the radiative probabilities and the fluorescence decays and lifetimes. Special attention has been devoted to the broad 4 I 13/2 → 4 I 15/2 emission transition at around 1.53 μm since, with a wide broadening of around 70 nm and a relative long lifetime of around 3 ms compared to others glass hosts, it shows potential applications in the design of erbium-doped fiber amplifiers. The absorption, the stimulated emission and the gain cross-sections of this transition have been obtained and compared with that obtained in different hosts. Finally, infrared-to-visible upconversion processes exciting at around 800 nm have been analyzed and different mechanisms involved in the energy conversion have been proposed. - Research highlights: → Broadened emission bands and high absorption and emission cross-sections for the transition 4 I 15/2 → 4 I 13/2 suitable for EDFAs. → Efficient green upconverted emission. → High value of C DA (6) energy transfer parameter.

  5. Tuning upconversion through energy migration in core-shell nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Feng; Deng, Renren; Wang, Juan; Wang, Qingxiao; Han, Yu; Zhu, Haomiao; Chen, Xueyuan; Liu, Xiaogang

    2011-01-01

    Photon upconversion is promising for applications such as biological imaging, data storage or solar cells. Here, we have investigated upconversion processes in a broad range of gadolinium-based nanoparticles of varying composition. We show that by rational design of a core-shell structure with a set of lanthanide ions incorporated into separated layers at precisely defined concentrations, efficient upconversion emission can be realized through gadolinium sublattice-mediated energy migration for a wide range of lanthanide activators without long-lived intermediary energy states. Furthermore, the use of the core-shell structure allows the elimination of deleterious cross-relaxation. This effect enables fine-tuning of upconversion emission through trapping of the migrating energy by the activators. Indeed, the findings described here suggest a general approach to constructing a new class of luminescent materials with tunable upconversion emissions by controlled manipulation of energy transfer within a nanoscopic region. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  6. Tuning upconversion through energy migration in core-shell nanoparticles

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Feng

    2011-10-23

    Photon upconversion is promising for applications such as biological imaging, data storage or solar cells. Here, we have investigated upconversion processes in a broad range of gadolinium-based nanoparticles of varying composition. We show that by rational design of a core-shell structure with a set of lanthanide ions incorporated into separated layers at precisely defined concentrations, efficient upconversion emission can be realized through gadolinium sublattice-mediated energy migration for a wide range of lanthanide activators without long-lived intermediary energy states. Furthermore, the use of the core-shell structure allows the elimination of deleterious cross-relaxation. This effect enables fine-tuning of upconversion emission through trapping of the migrating energy by the activators. Indeed, the findings described here suggest a general approach to constructing a new class of luminescent materials with tunable upconversion emissions by controlled manipulation of energy transfer within a nanoscopic region. © 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  7. One-Step Protein Conjugation to Upconversion Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Jie; Chen, Yinghui; Liu, Deming; Ren, Wei; Lu, Yiqing; Shi, Yu; Piper, James; Paulsen, Ian; Jin, Dayong

    2015-10-20

    The emerging upconversion nanoparticles offer a fascinating library of ultrasensitive luminescent probes for a range of biotechnology applications from biomarker discovery to single molecule tracking, early disease diagnosis, deep tissue imaging, and drug delivery and therapies. The effective bioconjugation of inorganic nanoparticles to the molecule-specific proteins, free of agglomeration, nonspecific binding, or biomolecule deactivation, is crucial for molecular recognition of target molecules or cells. The current available protocols require multiple steps which can lead to low probe stability, specificity, and reproducibility. Here we report a simple and rapid protein bioconjugation method based on a one-step ligand exchange using the DNAs as the linker. Our method benefits from the robust DNA-protein conjugates as well as from multiple ions binding capability. Protein can be preconjugated via an amino group at the 3' end of a synthetic DNA molecule, so that the 5' end phosphoric acid group and multiple phosphate oxygen atoms in the phosphodiester bonds are exposed to replace the oleic acid ligands on the surface of upconversion nanoparticles due to their stronger chelating capability to lanthanides. We demonstrated that our method can efficiently pull out the upconversion nanoparticles from organic solvent into an aqueous phase. The upconversion nanoparticles then become hydrophilic, stable, and specific biomolecules recognition. This allows us to successfully functionalize the upconversion nanoparticles with horseradish peroxidise (HRP) for catalytic colorimetric assay and for streptavidin (SA)-biotin immunoassays.

  8. Enhanced Power Conversion Efficiency of Perovskite Solar Cells with an Up-Conversion Material of Er3+-Yb3+-Li+ Tri-doped TiO2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhenlong; Qin, Jianqiang; Shi, Wenjia; Liu, Yanyan; Zhang, Yan; Liu, Yuefeng; Gao, Huiping; Mao, Yanli

    2018-05-11

    In this paper, Er 3+ -Yb 3+ -Li + tri-doped TiO 2 (UC-TiO 2 ) was prepared by an addition of Li + to Er 3+ -Yb 3+ co-doped TiO 2 . The UC-TiO 2 presented an enhanced up-conversion emission compared with Er 3+ -Yb 3+ co-doped TiO 2 . The UC-TiO 2 was applied to the perovskite solar cells. The power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cells without UC-TiO 2 was 14.0%, while the PCE of the solar cells with UC-TiO 2 was increased to 16.5%, which presented an increase of 19%. The results suggested that UC-TiO 2 is an effective up-conversion material. And this study provided a route to expand the spectral absorption of perovskite solar cells from visible light to near-infrared using up-conversion materials.

  9. Paradigms and challenges for bioapplication of rare earth upconversion luminescent nanoparticles: small size and tunable emission/excitation spectra.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Ling-Dong; Wang, Ye-Fu; Yan, Chun-Hua

    2014-04-15

    Rare earth (RE) materials, which are excited in the ultraviolet and emit in the visible light spectrum, are widely used as phosphors for lamps and displays. In the 1960's, researchers reported an abnormal emission phenomenon where photons emitted from a RE element carried more energy than those absorbed, owing to the sequential energy transfer between two RE ions--Yb(3+)-sensitized Er(3+) or Tm(3+)--in the solid state. After further study, researchers named this abnormal emission phenomenon upconversion (UC) emission. More recent approaches take advantage of solution-based synthesis, which allows creation of homogenous RE nanoparticles (NPs) with controlled size and structure that are capable of UC emission. Such nanoparticles are useful for many applications, especially in biology. For these applications, researchers seek small NPs with high upconversion emission intensity. These UCNPs have the potential to have multicolor and tunable emissions via various activators. A vast potential for future development remains by developing molecular antennas and energy transfer within RE ions. We expect UCNPs with optimized spectra behavior to meet the increasing demand of potential applications in bioimaging, biological detection, and light conversion. This Account focuses on efforts to control the size and modulate the spectra of UCNPs. We first review efforts in size control. One method is careful control of the synthesis conditions to manipulate particle nucleation and growth, but more recently researchers have learned that the doping conditions can affect the size of UCNPs. In addition, constructing homogeneous core/shell structures can control nanoparticle size by adjusting the shell thickness. After reviewing size control, we consider how diverse applications impose different requirements on excitation and/or emission photons and review recent developments on tuning of UC spectral profiles, especially the extension of excitation/emission wavelengths and the adjustment

  10. Upconversion detector for methane atmospheric sensor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meng, Lichun; Fix, Andreas; Høgstedt, Lasse

    2017-01-01

    We demonstrate an efficient upconversion detector (UCD) for a methane (CH4) atmospheric sensor. The UCD shows comparable performance with a conventional detector when measuring the backscattered signal from the hard target located 2.3 km away.......We demonstrate an efficient upconversion detector (UCD) for a methane (CH4) atmospheric sensor. The UCD shows comparable performance with a conventional detector when measuring the backscattered signal from the hard target located 2.3 km away....

  11. Structural morphology, upconversion luminescence and optical thermometric sensing behavior of Y2O3:Er(3+)/Yb(3+) nano-crystalline phosphor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Joshi, C; Dwivedi, A; Rai, S B

    2014-08-14

    Infrared-to-visible upconverting rare earths Er(3+)/Yb(3+) co-doped Y2O3 nano-crystalline phosphor samples have been prepared by solution combustion method followed by post-heat treatment at higher temperatures. A slight increase in average crystallite size has been found on calcinations verified by X-ray analysis. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirms the nano-crystalline nature of the as-prepared and calcinated samples. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis shows the structural changes in as-prepared and calcinated samples. Upconversion and downconversion emission recorded using 976 and 532 nm laser sources clearly demonstrates a better luminescence properties in the calcinated samples as compared to as-prepared sample. Upconversion emission has been quantified in terms of standard chromaticity diagram (CIE) showing a shift in overall upconversion emission of as-prepared and calcinated samples. Temperature sensing behaviour of this material has also been investigated by measurement of fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) of various signals in green emission in the temperature range of 315 to 555 K under 976 nm laser excitation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Multicolored spanning subgraphs in G-colorings of complete graphs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akbari, S.; Zare, S.

    2007-08-01

    Let G = {g 1 , ..., g n } be a finite abelian group. Consider the complete graph with the vertex set {g 1 , ..., g n }}. The G-coloring of K n is a proper edge coloring in which the color of edge {g i , g j } is g i + g j , l ≤ i ≤ j ≤ n. We prove that in the G-coloring of the complete graph K n , there exists a multicolored Hamilton path if G is not an elementary abelian 2-group. Furthermore, we show that if n is odd, then the G-coloring of K n can be decomposed into multicolored 2-factors and if l r is the number of elements of order r in G, 3 ≤ r ≤ n. then there are exactly (l r )/2 multicolored r-uniform 2-factors in this decomposition. This provides a generalization of a recent result due to Constantine which states: For any prime number p > 2, there exists a proper edge coloring of K p which is decomposable into multicolored Hamilton cycles. (author)

  13. Size-independent peak shift between normal and upconversion ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-12

    Feb 12, 2014 ... In this article, we report size-dependent measurement of the shift in peak of upconversion photoluminescence spectra compared to that of normal photoluminescence using a 800 nm femtosecond laser and its second harmonic. It has been shown that the upconversion photoluminescence is always ...

  14. Thermomchromic Reaction-Induced Reversible Upconversion Emission Modulation for Switching Devices and Tunable Upconversion Emission Based on Defect Engineering of WO3:Yb3+,Er3+ Phosphor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruan, Jiufeng; Yang, Zhengwen; Huang, Anjun; Zhang, Hailu; Qiu, Jianbei; Song, Zhiguo

    2018-05-02

    Reversible luminescence modulation of upconversion phosphors has the potential applications as photoswitches and optical memory and data storage devices. Previously, the photochromic reaction was extensively used for the realization of reversible luminescence modulation. It is very necessary to develop other approaches such as thermomchromic reaction to obtain the reversible upconversion luminescence modulation. In this work, the WO 3 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ phosphors with various colors were prepared at various temperatures, exhibiting tunable upconversion luminescence attributed to the formation of oxygen vacancies in the host. Upon heat treatment in the reducing atmosphere or air, the WO 3 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ phosphors show a reversible thermomchromic property. The reversible upconversion luminescence modulation of WO 3 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ phosphors was observed based on thermomchromic reaction. Additionally, the upconversion luminescence modulation is maintained after several cycles, indicating its excellent stability. The WO 3 :Yb 3+ ,Er 3+ phosphors with reversible upconversion luminescence and excellent reproducibility have potential applications as the photoswitches and optical memory and data storage devices.

  15. Upconversion in Nd3+-doped glasses: Microscopic theory and spectroscopic measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, S. L.; Sousa, D. F. de; Andrade, A. A.; Nunes, L. A. O.; Catunda, T.

    2008-01-01

    In this work, we report a systematic investigation of upconversion losses and their effects on fluorescence quantum efficiency and fractional thermal loading in Nd 3+ -doped fluoride glasses. The energy transfer upconversion (γ up ) parameter, which describes upconversion losses, was experimentally determined using different methods: thermal lens (TL) technique and steady state luminescence (SSL) measurements. Additionally, the upconversion parameter was also obtained from energy transfer models and excited state absorption measurements. The results reveal that the microscopic treatment provided by the energy transfer models is similar to the macroscopic ones achieved from the TL and SSL measurements because similar γ up parameters were obtained. Besides, the achieved results also point out the migration-assisted energy transfer according to diffusion-limited regime rather than hopping regime as responsible for the upconversion losses in Nd-doped glasses

  16. Intense upconversion luminescence in ytterbium-sensitized thulium-doped oxychloride germanate glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Hongtao; Zhanga Liyan; Zhang Junjie; Wen Lei; Yu Chunlei; Duan Zhongchao; Dai Shixun; Hu Lili; Jiang Zhonghong

    2005-01-01

    Structural and upconversion fluorescence properties in ytterbium-sensitized thulium-doped oxychloride germanate glass have been studied. The structure of oxychloride germanate glass was investigated by peak-deconvolution of Raman spectrum, and the structural information was obtained from the peak wavenumbers. The Raman spectrum investigation indicates that PbCl 2 plays an important role in the formation of glass network, and has an important influence on the upconversion luminescence. Intense blue and weak red emissions centered at 477 and 650 nm, corresponding to the transitions 1 G 4 → 3 H 6 and 1 G 4 → 3 H 4 , respectively, were observed at room temperature. The possible upconversion mechanisms are discussed and estimated. Intense upconversion luminescence indicates that oxychloride germanate glass can be used as potential host material for upconversion lasers

  17. Size dependence of upconversion photoluminescence in MPA capped CdTe quantum dots: Existence of upconversion bright point

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ananthakumar, S. [Crystal Growth Centre, Anna University, Chennai 600025 (India); Jayabalan, J., E-mail: jjaya@rrcat.gov.in [Laser Physics Applications Section, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452013 (India); Singh, Asha; Khan, Salahuddin [Laser Physics Applications Section, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452013 (India); Babu, S. Moorthy [Crystal Growth Centre, Anna University, Chennai 600025 (India); Chari, Rama [Laser Physics Applications Section, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, Indore 452013 (India)

    2016-01-15

    The photoluminescence (PL) from semiconductor quantum dots can show a “PL bright point”, that is the PL from as prepared quantum dots is maximum at a particular size. In this work we show that, for CdTe quantum dots, upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL) originating from nonlinear absorption shows a similar “UCPL bright point”. The PL and UCPL bright points occur at nearly the same size. The existence of a UCPL bright point has important implications for upconversion microscopy applications. - Highlights: • The size dependence of the upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL) spectrum of CdTe quantum dots has been reported. • We show that the UCPL from the CdTe quantum dots is highest at a particular size. • Thus the occurrence of a 'UCPL bright point' in CdTe quantum dots has been demonstrated. • It has been shown that the UCPL bright point occurs at nearly the same size as a normal bright point.

  18. Size dependence of upconversion photoluminescence in MPA capped CdTe quantum dots: Existence of upconversion bright point

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ananthakumar, S.; Jayabalan, J.; Singh, Asha; Khan, Salahuddin; Babu, S. Moorthy; Chari, Rama

    2016-01-01

    The photoluminescence (PL) from semiconductor quantum dots can show a “PL bright point”, that is the PL from as prepared quantum dots is maximum at a particular size. In this work we show that, for CdTe quantum dots, upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL) originating from nonlinear absorption shows a similar “UCPL bright point”. The PL and UCPL bright points occur at nearly the same size. The existence of a UCPL bright point has important implications for upconversion microscopy applications. - Highlights: • The size dependence of the upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL) spectrum of CdTe quantum dots has been reported. • We show that the UCPL from the CdTe quantum dots is highest at a particular size. • Thus the occurrence of a "UCPL bright point" in CdTe quantum dots has been demonstrated. • It has been shown that the UCPL bright point occurs at nearly the same size as a normal bright point.

  19. Fabrication of multicolor fluorescent polyvinyl alcohol through surface modification with conjugated polymers by oxidative polymerization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hai, Thien An Phung; Sugimoto, Ryuichi

    2018-06-01

    A simple method for the preparation of multicolor polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) by chemical oxidative polymerization is introduced. The PVA surface was successfully modified with conjugated polymers composed of 3-hexylthiophene (3HT) and fluorene (F). The incorporation of the 3HT/F copolymer onto the PVA surface was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis), and fluorescence spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), contact angle, and field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. Different 3HT/F ratios on the PVA surface result in optical properties that include multicolor-emission and absorption behavior. The color of the resultant (3HT/F)-g-PVA shifted from red to blue, and the quantum yield increased with increasing F content. The surface hydrophobicity of the modified PVA increased significantly through grafting with the conjugated polymers, with the water contact angle increasing by 30° compared to pristine PVA. The PVA XRD peaks were less intense following surface modification. Thermogravimetric analyses reveal that the thermal stability of the PVA decreases as a result of grafting with the 3HT/F copolymers.

  20. Light-Induced Fluorescence Modulation of Quantum Dot-Crystal Violet Conjugates: Stochastic Off-On-Off Cycles for Multicolor Patterning and Super-Resolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Sungwook; Park, Joonhyuck; Bang, Jiwon; Kim, Jae-Yeol; Kim, Cheolhee; Jeon, Yongmoon; Lee, Seung Hwan; Jin, Ho; Choi, Sukyung; Kim, Bomi; Lee, Woo Jin; Pack, Chan-Gi; Lee, Jong-Bong; Lee, Nam Ki; Kim, Sungjee

    2017-06-07

    Photoswitching or modulation of quantum dots (QDs) can be promising for many fields that include display, memory, and super-resolution imaging. However, such modulations have mostly relied on photomodulations of conjugated molecules in QD vicinity, which typically require high power of high energy photons at UV. We report a visible light-induced facile modulation route for QD-dye conjugates. QD crystal violets conjugates (QD-CVs) were prepared and the crystal violet (CV) molecules on QD quenched the fluorescence efficiently. The fluorescence of QD-CVs showed a single cycle of emission burst as they go through three stages of (i) initially quenched "off" to (ii) photoactivated "on" as the result of chemical change of CVs induced by photoelectrons from QD and (iii) back to photodarkened "off" by radical-associated reactions. Multicolor on-demand photopatterning was demonstrated using QD-CV solid films. QD-CVs were introduced into cells, and excitation with visible light yielded photomodulation from "off" to "on" and "off" by nearly ten fold. Individual photoluminescence dynamics of QD-CVs was investigated using fluorescence correlation spectroscopy and single QD emission analysis, which revealed temporally stochastic photoactivations and photodarkenings. Exploiting the stochastic fluorescence burst of QD-CVs, simultaneous multicolor super-resolution localizations were demonstrated.

  1. High resolution 2D image upconversion of incoherent light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Pedersen, Christian; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2011-01-01

    infrared (NIR) portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The key is optimization of the upconversion process. This include Quasi-Phase-Matching leading to higher effective nonlinearities and elimination of walk-off, an intra-cavity design enhancing the upconversion process, and finally the use of modern NIR...

  2. Up-conversion luminescence application in Er3+: TiO2 thin film prepared by dip coating sol-gel route

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Badr, Y.; Battisha, I.K.; Salah, A.; Salem, M.A.

    2008-01-01

    Sol-gel derived nano-crystalline titanium dioxide films doped with 1 up to 5% Er 3+ ions were prepared by dip coating sol-gel method. The coating sol was obtained by hydrolysis of Ti(OC 4 H 9 ) 4 in ethanol/HCI solution. The FT-Raman and the X-ray diffraction (XRD) were carried out to determine the crystal structure of the prepared samples. The morphology SEM and the cross-sectional of the film were used to characterize the microstructure and the thickness of the prepared film. It is shown that relative homogeneous, crack-free and transparent film was achieved via dipping process at 500 deg C. After the excitation with laser diode at wavelength 808 nm, visible (Vis) and infrared (IR) up-conversion emissions were evidenced in the thin film samples under investigation. The up-conversion was found to depend strongly on the Er 3+ ion concentrations. The visible emission was found to be at 540, 560, 590 and 640 nm for thin film. They are attributed to intra-4f transition of Er 3+ ions and assigned to the ( 2 H 11/2 + 4 S 3/2 ) and 4 F 9/2 , which are populated through excited state absorption (ESA) for 808 nm excitation. (author)

  3. Photoswitching of triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion with photo-generated radical from hexaphenylbiimidazole

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahmood, Zafar [State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Toffoletti, Antonio [Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Marzolo, 1, 35131 Padova (Italy); Zhao, Jianzhang, E-mail: zhaojzh@dlut.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024 (China); Barbon, Antonio, E-mail: antonio.barbon@unipd.it [Dipartimento di Scienze Chimiche, Università degli Studi di Padova, Via Marzolo, 1, 35131 Padova (Italy)

    2017-03-15

    Photoirradiation generated radical from hexaphenyl-biimidazole (HPBI) was used for reversible switching of triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) upconversion, based on quenching of the photosensitizer triplet state by radical-triplet pair mechanism. Upon 365 nm irradiation, the TTA upconversion in a system composed by a boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivative and perylene, was completely switched off due to quenching of triplet state of photosensitizer by photogenerated radical from HPBI. The upconversion was recovered after leaving the samples in darkness, due to regeneration of HPBI Dimer. The photophysical process involved in the photochromism and photoswitching of TTA upconversion were studied with steady-state UV–vis absorption spectroscopy, nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and EPR spectroscopy. - Graphical abstract: Radical-switched TTA upconversion was achieved with reversible quenching of the triplet state by photo-generated stable organic radical from photochromic hexaphenylbiimidazole.

  4. Improvement of conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells using up-conversion molybdate La2Mo2O9:Yb,R (R=Er, Ho) phosphors

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Yen-Chi Chen; Teng-Ming Chen

    2011-01-01

    The goal of this work was aimed to improve the power conversion efficiency of single crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic cells by using the solar spectral conversion principle,which employs an up-conversion phosphor to convert a low energy infrared photon to the more energetic visible photons to improve the spectral response.In this study,the surface of multicrystalline silicon solar cells was coated with an up-conversion molybdate phosphor to improve the spectral response of the solar cell in the ncar-infiared spectral range.The short circuit current (Isc),open circuit voltage (Voc),and conversion efficiency (η) of spectral conversion cells were measured.Preliminary experimental results revealed that the light conversion efficiency of a 1.5%-2.7% increase in Si-based cell was achieved.

  5. Photon upconversion towards applications in energy conversion and bioimaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Qi-C.; Ding, Yuchen C.; Sagar, Dodderi M.; Nagpal, Prashant

    2017-12-01

    The field of plasmonics can play an important role in developing novel devices for application in energy and healthcare. In this review article, we consider the progress made in design and fabrication of upconverting nanoparticles and metal nanostructures for precisely manipulating light photons, with a wavelength of several hundred nanometers, at nanometer length scales, and describe how to tailor their interactions with molecules and surfaces so that two or more lower energy photons can be used to generate a single higher energy photon in a process called photon upconversion. This review begins by introducing the current state-of-the-art in upconverting nanoparticle synthesis and achievements in color tuning and upconversion enhancement. Through understanding and tailoring physical processes, color tuning and strong upconversion enhancement have been demonstrated by coupling with surface plasmon polariton waves, especially for low intensity or diffuse infrared radiation. Since more than 30% of incident sunlight is not utilized in most photovoltaic cells, this photon upconversion is one of the promising approaches to break the so-called Shockley-Queisser thermodynamic limit for a single junction solar cell. Furthermore, since the low energy photons typically cover the biological window of optical transparency, this approach can also be particularly beneficial for novel biosensing and bioimaging techniques. Taken together, the recent research boosts the applications of photon upconversion using designed metal nanostructures and nanoparticles for green energy, bioimaging, and therapy.

  6. Up-conversion luminescence of Er3+/Yb3+/Nd3+-codoped tellurite glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Longjun; Nie Qiuhua; Xu Tiefeng; Dai Shixun; Shen Xiang; Zhang Xianghua

    2007-01-01

    Up-conversion luminescence and energy transfer (ET) processes in Nd 3+ -Yb 3+ -Er 3+ triply doped TeO 2 -ZnO-Na 2 O glasses have been studied under 800 nm excitation. Intense green up-conversion emissions around 549 nm, which can be attributed to the Er 3+ : 4 S 3/2 →4 I 15/2 transition, are observed in triply doped samples. In contrast, the green emissions are hardly observed in Er 3+ singly doped and Er 3+ -Yb 3+ codoped samples under the same condition. Up-conversion luminescence intensity exhibits dependence of Yb 2 O 3 -concentration and Nd 2 O 3 -concentration. Up-conversion mechanism in the triply doped glasses under 800 nm pump is discussed by analyzing the ET among Nd 3+ , Yb 3+ and Er 3+ . And a possible up-conversion mechanism based on sequential ET from Nd 3+ to Er 3+ through Yb 3+ is proposed for green and red up-conversion emission processes

  7. An upconversion nanoparticle - Zinc phthalocyanine based nanophotosensitizer for photodynamic therapy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Xia, L.; Kong, X.; Liu, X.; Tu, L.; Zhang, Y.; Chang, Y.; Liu, K.; Shen, D.; Zhao, H.; Zhang, H.

    2014-01-01

    Recent advances in NIR triggering upconversion-based photodynamic therapy have led to substantial improvements in upconversion-based nanophotosensitizers. How to obtain the high efficiency of singlet oxygen generation under low 980 nm radiation dosage still remains a challenge. A highly efficient

  8. Enhancing Solar Cell Efficiency Using Photon Upconversion Materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shang, Yunfei; Hao, Shuwei; Yang, Chunhui; Chen, Guanying

    2015-10-27

    Photovoltaic cells are able to convert sunlight into electricity, providing enough of the most abundant and cleanest energy to cover our energy needs. However, the efficiency of current photovoltaics is significantly impeded by the transmission loss of sub-band-gap photons. Photon upconversion is a promising route to circumvent this problem by converting these transmitted sub-band-gap photons into above-band-gap light, where solar cells typically have high quantum efficiency. Here, we summarize recent progress on varying types of efficient upconversion materials as well as their outstanding uses in a series of solar cells, including silicon solar cells (crystalline and amorphous), gallium arsenide (GaAs) solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, and other types of solar cells. The challenge and prospect of upconversion materials for photovoltaic applications are also discussed.

  9. Enhancing Solar Cell Efficiency Using Photon Upconversion Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunfei Shang

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Photovoltaic cells are able to convert sunlight into electricity, providing enough of the most abundant and cleanest energy to cover our energy needs. However, the efficiency of current photovoltaics is significantly impeded by the transmission loss of sub-band-gap photons. Photon upconversion is a promising route to circumvent this problem by converting these transmitted sub-band-gap photons into above-band-gap light, where solar cells typically have high quantum efficiency. Here, we summarize recent progress on varying types of efficient upconversion materials as well as their outstanding uses in a series of solar cells, including silicon solar cells (crystalline and amorphous, gallium arsenide (GaAs solar cells, dye-sensitized solar cells, and other types of solar cells. The challenge and prospect of upconversion materials for photovoltaic applications are also discussed

  10. Nanostructured rare earth doped Nb2O5: Structural, optical properties and their correlation with photonic applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pereira, Rafael Ramiro; Aquino, Felipe Thomaz; Ferrier, Alban; Goldner, Philippe; Gonçalves, Rogéria R.

    2016-01-01

    In the present work, we report on a systematic study on structural and spectroscopic properties Eu 3+ and Er 3+ -doped Nb 2 O 5 prepared by sol–gel method. The Eu 3+ ions were used as structural probe to determine the symmetry sites occupied by lanthanide ions. The Eu 3+ -doped Nb 2 O 5 nanocrystalline powders were annealed at different temperatures to verify how the different Nb 2 O 5 crystalline phases affect the structure and the luminescence properties. Er 3+ -doped Nb 2 O 5 was prepared showing an intense NIR luminescence, and, visible luminescence on the green and red, deriving from upconversion process. The synthetized materials can find widespread applicability in photonics as red luminophor for white LED (with tricolor), optical amplifiers and upconverter materials. - Highlights: • Vis and NIR emission from nanostructured lanthanide doped Nb 2 O 5 . • Eu 3+ -doped Nb 2 O 5 as Red luminophor. • Multicolor tunability of intense upconversion emission from lanthanide doped Nb 2 O 5 . • Potential application as biological markers. • Broad band NIR emission.

  11. Upconversion excitations in Pr3+-doped BaY2F8 crystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Piramidowicz, R.; Mahiou, R.; Boutinaud, P.; Malinowski, M.

    2011-09-01

    We report the orange-to-blue and infrared-(IR)-to-blue wavelengths upconversion luminescence in Pr3+:BaY2F8 crystals. Mechanism of the orange light upconversion into blue 3P0 state emission was confirmed to be energy transfer between two Pr3+ ions in the 1D2 state. IR-to-blue upconversion has only been observed under two different color IR pumping. The first resonant step was the 3H4→1G4 ground state absorption transition, and the second resonant transition was the excited state absorption from the 1G4 to 1I6 and 3PJ levels. A comparison of the efficiency of the IR-to-blue upconversion in several praseodymium activated host is presented and discussed. A model of the IR pumped upconversion praseodymium blue laser is presented and the population inversion conditions are calculated.

  12. Multispectral mid-infrared imaging using frequency upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanders, Nicolai Højer; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Jensen, Ole Bjarlin

    2013-01-01

    It has recently been shown that it is possible to upconvert infrared images to the near infrared region with high quantum efficiency and low noise by three-wave mixing with a laser field [1]. If the mixing laser is single-frequency, the upconverted image is simply a band-pass filtered version...... parameter, allowing for fast tuning and hence potentially fast image acquisition, paving the way for upconversion based real time multispectral imaging. In the present realization the upconversion module consists of an external cavity tapered diode laser in a Littrow configuration with a computer controlled...

  13. Investigation of Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Point Light Source Color Visibility against Complex Multicolored Backgrounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-01

    authors. Statistical analyses and analysis plots were obtained using IBM SPSS Statistics.* 5.1 Threshold Visible Illuminance by LED Color and...LED Visibility vs. Outdoor Background Illuminance Across all camouflage materials, the outdoor distances of visibility are plotted with SPSS in Fig

  14. Frequency division multiplexed multi-color fluorescence microscope system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Vu Nam; Yang, Huai Dong; Zhang, Si Chun; Zhang, Xin Rong; Jin, Guo Fan

    2017-10-01

    Grayscale camera can only obtain gray scale image of object, while the multicolor imaging technology can obtain the color information to distinguish the sample structures which have the same shapes but in different colors. In fluorescence microscopy, the current method of multicolor imaging are flawed. Problem of these method is affecting the efficiency of fluorescence imaging, reducing the sampling rate of CCD etc. In this paper, we propose a novel multiple color fluorescence microscopy imaging method which based on the Frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technology, by modulating the excitation lights and demodulating the fluorescence signal in frequency domain. This method uses periodic functions with different frequency to modulate amplitude of each excitation lights, and then combine these beams for illumination in a fluorescence microscopy imaging system. The imaging system will detect a multicolor fluorescence image by a grayscale camera. During the data processing, the signal obtained by each pixel of the camera will be processed with discrete Fourier transform, decomposed by color in the frequency domain and then used inverse discrete Fourier transform. After using this process for signals from all of the pixels, monochrome images of each color on the image plane can be obtained and multicolor image is also acquired. Based on this method, this paper has constructed and set up a two-color fluorescence microscope system with two excitation wavelengths of 488 nm and 639 nm. By using this system to observe the linearly movement of two kinds of fluorescent microspheres, after the data processing, we obtain a two-color fluorescence dynamic video which is consistent with the original image. This experiment shows that the dynamic phenomenon of multicolor fluorescent biological samples can be generally observed by this method. Compared with the current methods, this method can obtain the image signals of each color at the same time, and the color video's frame

  15. Visible Light Excited Catalysis and Reusability Performances of TiO2@Pr:Y2SiO5 Upconversion Materials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan Jiao

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available To get high efficiency photodegradation on pollutants under visible light, Pr(III doped Y2SiO5 upconversion materials and anatase TiO2 nanofilm coated Pr:Y2SiO5 composite have been prepared by using a sol-gel method. XRD and SEM test results indicated that TiO2 nanofilm was well coated on Pr:Y2SiO5 to form TiO2@Pr:Y2SiO5 composite particles with the sizes of 0.5–1.0 μm. To avoid secondary pollution resulting from incomplete recovery of catalyst particles, TiO2@Pr:Y2SiO5 was loaded on the glass fiber filters by using a dip-coating method. It is found that the catalyst particles were embedded into the carrier firmly, even after having been reused for 6 times. The luminescence intensities of TiO2@Pr:Y2SiO5 were getting down sharply with the coating contents of TiO2 increased, which was attributed to the adsorption of the luminescence by the TiO2 film in situ. As a result, TiO2@Pr:Y2SiO5 with 4% TiO2, which presented lowest luminescence intensity, showed the highest efficiency on the photodegradation of nitrobenzene wastewater. The catalysts loaded on glass fiber filters showed excellent reusability on the photodegradation of nitrobenzene and presented a photodegradation rate of 95% at the first time and up to 75.9% even after 6 times of reusing by the treatment time of 12 h.

  16. Monte Carlo simulations of homogeneous upconversion in erbium-doped silica glasses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Philipsen, Jacob Lundgreen; Bjarklev, Anders Overgaard

    1997-01-01

    Quenching of Er3+ ions by homogeneous energy-transfer upconversion in high-concentration erbium-doped silica glasses has been theoretically investigated, The results indicate that at Er3+ concentrations of 1.0-2.0·1026 m-3 or below, the kinetic limit of strong migration is not reached, and hence...... the widely accepted quadratic upconversion model is not generally valid. Nevertheless, the results offer an explanation of the experimental observations of quadratic upconversion. Furthermore, it has been shown that at a given population inversion, the quenching rate depends on the rate of exchange...

  17. NIR to visible frequency upconversion in Er3+ and Yb3+ codoped ZrO2 phosphor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Vijay; Kim, Sang Hwan; Rai, Vineet Kumar; Al-Shamery, Katharina; Haase, Markus

    2013-01-01

    The ZrO 2 :Er 3+ codoped with Yb 3+ phosphor powders have been prepared by the urea combustion route. Formation of the compounds ZrO 2 :Er 3+ and ZrO 2 :Er 3+ , Yb 3+ was confirmed by XRD. The frequency upconversion emissions in the green and red regions upon excitation with a CW diode laser at ∝978 nm are reported. Codoping with Yb 3+ enhances the emission intensities of the triply ionized erbium in the green and red spectral regions by about ∝130 and ∝820 times respectively. The emission properties of the ZrO 2 :Er 3+ phosphor powders are discussed on the basis of excited state absorption, energy transfer, and cross-relaxation energy transfer mechanisms. (orig.)

  18. Facile EG/ionic liquid interfacial synthesis of uniform RE(3+) doped NaYF(4) nanocubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chao; Chen, Ji

    2010-01-28

    Uniform multicolor upconversion luminescent RE(3+) doped NaYF(4) nanocubes are fabricated through a facile ethylene glycol (EG)/ionic liquid interfacial synthesis route at 80 degrees C, with the ionic liquids acting as both reagents and templates.

  19. Upconversion luminescence properties of Y2O3:Yb3+, Er3+ nanostructures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    De Gejihu; Qin Weiping; Zhang Jishen; Zhang Jishuang; Wang, Yan; Cao Chunyan; Cui Yang

    2006-01-01

    Cubic Y 2 O 3 nanostructures doped with Yb 3+ and Er 3+ ions were synthesized by a facile hydrothermal method. Three distinct shapes such as nanotubes, nanospheres and nanoflakes formed in the products by adjusting the pH value of reacting solution. Powder X-ray diffraction analyses indicate that all the three nanostructures are pure cubic phase, while electron microscopy measurements confirm the formation of different morphologies. These nanostructures exhibit strong visible upconversion luminescence under the excitation of a 978-nm diode laser. In Yb 3+ - and Er 3+ - codoped Y 2 O 3 nanocrystals, the relative intensity of green emission became stronger as the size and morphology of sample changed from tubes to flakes

  20. The Surveillance Dynamic State GSS "Intelsat 10-02" on Base Multicolored Photometrical Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sukhov, P. P.; Karpenko, G. F.; Epishev, V. P.; Motrunich, I. I.

    2011-09-01

    Complex coordinate and multicolored photometric observations of active geostationary satellite (GSS) "Intelsat 10-02" (28358/2004022A, sub point GSS 359.0 E, with inclination to the equator i=0.05, the eccentricity e=0.00) took place at the "Mayaki" station, located nearby Odessa, on October 6,7,12,13,14, 2010 and on March 4, 2011. On those dates the satellite was nearby the border of the Earth's shadow. On basis of multicolored photometric observations some of its optical and geometrical characteristics were calculated. The analysis of light variation of GSS in B,V,R spectral regions of Johnson's system and the color indexes variation show that during the dates of observation the systems of stabilization of the platform of the transceiver antenna and the solar panels worked in the normal operating mode. During the observations the tracking panels of GSS "Intelsat 10-02" are well preserved relatively to the direction of Sun. The rotation of SB panels happens about axis, which is perpendicular to the equatorial plane. The orientation of the main axis of the platform, within calculation errors, remained unchanged in to the direction of the Earth's mass center. The analyses of the coordinate and photometric information for this GSS show how we can effectively control the dynamic state of the satellite and evaluate the optical characteristics of visible surface of spacecraft components and their behavior on its orbit using the photometric observations

  1. Compact blue laser devices based on nonlinear frequency upconversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Risk, W.P.

    1989-01-01

    This paper reports how miniature sources of coherent blue radiation can be produced by using nonlinear optical materials for frequency upconversion of the infrared radiation emitted by laser diodes. Direct upconversion of laser diode radiation is possible, but there are several advantages to using the diode laser to pump a solid-state laser which is then upconverted. In either case, the challenge is to find combinations of nonlinear materials and laser for efficient frequency upconversion. Several examples have been demonstrated. These include intracavity frequency doubling of a diode-pumped 946-nm Nd:YAG laser, intracavity frequency mixing of a 809-nm GaAlAs laser diode with a diode- pumped 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser, and direct frequency doubling of a 994-nm strained-layer InGaAs laser diode

  2. Highly Efficient LiYF4:Yb(3+), Er(3+) Upconversion Single Crystal under Solar Cell Spectrum Excitation and Photovoltaic Application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xu; Xu, Wen; Song, Hongwei; Chen, Cong; Xia, Haiping; Zhu, Yongsheng; Zhou, Donglei; Cui, Shaobo; Dai, Qilin; Zhang, Jiazhong

    2016-04-13

    Luminescent upconversion is a promising way to harvest near-infrared (NIR) sunlight and transforms it into visible light that can be directly absorbed by active materials of solar cells and improve their power conversion efficiency (PCE). However, it is still a great challenge to effectively improve the PCE of solar cells with the assistance of upconversion. In this work, we demonstrate the application of the transparent LiYF4:Yb(3+), Er(3+) single crystal as an independent luminescent upconverter to improve the PCE of perovskite solar cells. The LiYF4:Yb(3+), Er(3+) single crystal is prepared by an improved Bridgman method, and its internal quantum efficiency approached to 5.72% under 6.2 W cm(-2) 980 nm excitation. The power-dependent upconversion luminescence indicated that under the excitation of simulated sunlight the (4)F(9/2)-(4)I(15/2) red emission originally results from the cooperation of a 1540 nm photon and a 980 nm photon. Furthermore, when the single crystal is placed in front of the perovskite solar cells, the PCE is enhanced by 7.9% under the irradiation of simulated sunlight by 7-8 solar constants. This work implies the upconverter not only can serve as proof of principle for improving PCE of solar cells but also is helpful to practical application.

  3. IR Image upconversion using band-limited ASE illumination fiber sources.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maestre, H; Torregrosa, A J; Capmany, J

    2016-04-18

    We study the field-of-view (FOV) of an upconversion imaging system that employs an Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) fiber source to illuminate a transmission target. As an intermediate case between narrowband laser and thermal illumination, an ASE fiber source allows for higher spectral intensity than thermal illumination and still keeps a broad wavelength spectrum to take advantage of an increased non-collinear phase-matching angle acceptance that enlarges the FOV of the upconversion system when compared to using narrowband laser illumination. A model is presented to predict the angular acceptance of the upconverter in terms of focusing and ASE spectral width and allocation. The model is experimentally checked in case of 1550-630 nm upconversion.

  4. A smart upconversion-based light-triggered polymer for synergetic chemo-photodynamic therapy and dual-modal MR/UCL imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Bin; Han, Shuping; Zhao, Feifei; Lim, Kok Hwa; Xi, Hongwei; Su, Xiangjie; Yao, Hanchun; Zhou, Jie

    2016-10-01

    We have developed a novel nanocomposite to achieve effective therapy and live surveillance of tumor tissue. In this study, fullerene (C 60 ) with iron oxide (Fe 3 O 4 ) nanoparticles and upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) was loaded into N-succinyl-N'-4-(2-nitrobenzyloxy)-succinyl-chitosan micelles (SNSC) with good biocompatibility. In addition, hydrophobic anticancer drug docetaxel (DTX) was also loaded into the nanocomposites. The experiments conducted in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that C 60 /Fe 3 O 4 -UCNPs@DTX@SNSC can act synergistically to kill tumor cells by releasing chemotherapy drugs at specific target site as well as generating reactive oxygen using 980nm. In addition, it can also be used for non-invasive deep magnetic resonance and upconversion fluorescence dual-mode imaging. The results indicated that this system provided an efficient method to surmount the drawback of UV or visible light-responsive polymeric systems for controlled drug release and generated reactive oxygen in deep tissues and ultimately realized the integration of dual-modal imaging and treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Enhancing multiphoton upconversion through energy clustering at sublattice level

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Juan; Deng, Renren; MacDonald, Mark A.; Chen, Bolei; Yuan, Jikang; Wang, Feng; Chi, Dongzhi; Andy Hor, Tzi Sum; Zhang, Peng; Liu, Guokui; Han, Yu; Liu, Xiaogang

    2014-02-01

    The applications of lanthanide-doped upconversionnanocrystals in biological imaging, photonics, photovoltaics and therapeutics have fuelled a growing demand for rational control over the emission profiles of the nanocrystals. A common strategy for tuning upconversion luminescence is to control the doping concentration of lanthanide ions. However, the phenomenon of concentration quenching of the excited state at high doping levels poses a significant constraint. Thus, the lanthanide ions have to be stringently kept at relatively low concentrations to minimize luminescence quenching. Here we describe a new class of upconversion nanocrystals adopting an orthorhombic crystallographic structure in which the lanthanide ions are distributed in arrays of tetrad clusters. Importantly, this unique arrangement enables the preservation of excitation energy within the sublattice domain and effectively minimizes the migration of excitation energy to defects, even in stoichiometric compounds with a high Yb3+ content (calculated as 98 mol%). This allows us to generate an unusual four-photon-promoted violet upconversion emission from Er3+ with an intensity that is more than eight times higher than previously reported. Our results highlight that the approach to enhancing upconversion through energy clustering at the sublattice level may provide new opportunities for light-triggered biological reactions and photodynamic therapy.

  6. Enhancing multiphoton upconversion through energy clustering at sublattice level

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Juan

    2013-11-24

    The applications of lanthanide-doped upconversionnanocrystals in biological imaging, photonics, photovoltaics and therapeutics have fuelled a growing demand for rational control over the emission profiles of the nanocrystals. A common strategy for tuning upconversion luminescence is to control the doping concentration of lanthanide ions. However, the phenomenon of concentration quenching of the excited state at high doping levels poses a significant constraint. Thus, the lanthanide ions have to be stringently kept at relatively low concentrations to minimize luminescence quenching. Here we describe a new class of upconversion nanocrystals adopting an orthorhombic crystallographic structure in which the lanthanide ions are distributed in arrays of tetrad clusters. Importantly, this unique arrangement enables the preservation of excitation energy within the sublattice domain and effectively minimizes the migration of excitation energy to defects, even in stoichiometric compounds with a high Yb 3+ content (calculated as 98 mol%). This allows us to generate an unusual four-photon-promoted violet upconversion emission from Er 3+ with an intensity that is more than eight times higher than previously reported. Our results highlight that the approach to enhancing upconversion through energy clustering at the sublattice level may provide new opportunities for light-triggered biological reactions and photodynamic therapy. © 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  7. One-step hydrothermal synthesis of carboxyl-functionalized upconversion phosphors for bioapplications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Jianping; Shen, Dengke; Li, Xiaomin; Li, Wei; Fang, Yin; Wei, Yong; Yao, Chi; Tu, Bo; Zhang, Fan; Zhao, Dongyuan

    2012-10-22

    In this paper, we report a facile one-step hydrothermal method to synthesize phase-, size-, and shape-controlled carboxyl-functionalized rare-earth fluorescence upconversion phosphors by using a small-molecule binary acid, such as malonic acid, oxalic acid, succinic acid, or tartaric acid as capping agent. The crystals, from nano- to microstructures with diverse shapes that include nanospheres, microrods, hexagonal prisms, microtubes, microdisks, polygonal columns, and hexagonal tablets, can be obtained with different reaction times, reaction temperatures, molar ratios of capping agent to sodium hydroxide, and by varying the binary acids. Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis, and upconversion luminescence spectra measurements indicate that the synthesized NaYF(4):Yb/Er products with hydrophilic carboxyl-functionalized surface offer efficient upconversion luminescent performance. Furthermore, the antibody/secondary antibody conjugation can be realized by the carboxyl-functionalized surfaces of the upconversion phosphors, thus indicating the potential bioapplications of these kinds of materials. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  8. Solar upconversion with plasmon-enhanced bimolecular complexes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dionne, Jennifer [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

    2017-04-14

    Upconversion of sub-bandgap photons is a promising approach to exceed the Shockley-Queisser limit in solar technologies. However, due to the low quantum efficiencies and narrow absorption bandwidths of upconverters, existing systems have only led to fractional percent improvements in photovoltaic devices (~0.01%). In this project, we aimed to develop an efficient upconverting material that could improve cell efficiencies by at least one absolute percent. To achieve this goal, we first used thermodynamic calculations to determine cell efficiencies with realistic upconverting materials. Then, we designed, synthesized, and characterized nanoantennas that promise >100x enhancement in both the upconverter absorption cross-section and emissive radiative rate. Concurrently, we optimized the upconverer by designing new ionic and molecular complexes that promise efficient solid-state upconversion. Lastly, with Bosch, we simulated record-efficiency semi-transparent cells that will allow for ready incorporation of our upconverting materials. While we were not successful in designing record efficiency upconverters during our three years of funding, we gained significant insight into the existing limitations of upconverters and how to best address these challenges. Ongoing work is aimed at addressing these limitations, to make upconversion a cost-competitive solar technology in future years.

  9. Color Tunable and Upconversion Luminescence in Yb-Tm Co-Doped Yttrium Phosphate Inverse Opal Photonic Crystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Siqin; Qiu, Jianbei; Wang, Qi; Zhou, Dacheng; Yang, Zhengwen

    2016-04-01

    For this paper, YPO4: Tm, Yb inverse opals with the photonic band gaps at 475 nm and 655 nm were prepared by polystyrene colloidal crystal templates. We investigated the influence of photonic band gaps on the Tm-Yb upconversion emission which was in the YPO4: Tm Yb inverse opal photonic crystals. Comparing with the reference sample, significant suppression of both the blue and red upconversion luminescence of Tm3+ ions were observed in the inverse opals. The color purity of the blue emission was improved in the inverse opal by the suppression of red upconversion emission. Additionally, mechanism of upconversion emission in the inverse opal was discussed. We believe that the present work will be valuable for not only the foundational study of upconversion emission modification but also the development of new optical devices in upconversion lighting and display.

  10. Multi-color pyrometry imaging system and method of operating the same

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estevadeordal, Jordi; Nirmalan, Nirm Velumylum; Tralshawala, Nilesh; Bailey, Jeremy Clyde

    2017-03-21

    A multi-color pyrometry imaging system for a high-temperature asset includes at least one viewing port in optical communication with at least one high-temperature component of the high-temperature asset. The system also includes at least one camera device in optical communication with the at least one viewing port. The at least one camera device includes a camera enclosure and at least one camera aperture defined in the camera enclosure, The at least one camera aperture is in optical communication with the at least one viewing port. The at least one camera device also includes a multi-color filtering mechanism coupled to the enclosure. The multi-color filtering mechanism is configured to sequentially transmit photons within a first predetermined wavelength band and transmit photons within a second predetermined wavelength band that is different than the first predetermined wavelength band.

  11. Er{sup 3+}-doped Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} obtained by polymeric precursor: Synthesis, structure and upconversion emission properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Perrella, Rafael V.; Santos, Daniela P. dos [Grupo de Pesquisa em Química de Materiais – (GPQM), Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Campus Dom Bosco, Praça Dom Helvécio, 74, 36301-160 São João del-Rei, MG (Brazil); Poirier, Gael Y. [Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia, Universidade Federal de Alfenas, Cidade Universitária, 37715400 Poços de Caldas, MG (Brazil); Góes, Márcio S. [Universidade Federal da Integração Latino-Americana (UNILA), Av. Tancredo Neves, 6731 – Bloco 4, Cx P. 2044, CEP: 85867-970 Foz do Iguaçu, PR (Brazil); Ribeiro, Sidney José L. [Instituto de Química, UNESP, P.O. Box 355, 14800-970 Araraquara, SP (Brazil); Schiavon, Marco A. [Grupo de Pesquisa em Química de Materiais – (GPQM), Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, Campus Dom Bosco, Praça Dom Helvécio, 74, 36301-160 São João del-Rei, MG (Brazil); and others

    2014-05-01

    The relentless pursuit for materials containing rare earth ions with photoluminescent properties has led to several studies with applications in the development of new technologies. The main focus of this work is the preparation of Er{sup 3+}-doped polycrystalline Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} with photoluminescent properties using PEG as an organic precursor and heat-treated at different temperatures. The methodology used in this synthesis is highly attractive due to its high feasibility for improved technology and low cost for preparing materials. The behavior of the viscous resin has been evaluated and the final compounds exhibited the formation of a cubic polycrystalline phase, which is able to support variations in Er{sup 3+} doping concentrations up to 10 mol%, without significant changes in the polycrystalline parameters. The values of the nanocrystallite size calculated by Scherrer's equation showed direct dependence on the heat-treatment temperature as well as the Er{sup 3+} concentration. Intense emission in the visible region under excitation at 980 nm was attributed to an upconversion phenomenon assigned to the intraconfigurational f–f transitions of Er{sup 3+} ions. The upconversion mechanism was investigated and it was demonstrated that the higher intense emission in the red region in comparison to the emission in the green region is related to the crystallite size. The studies about the intensity showed the dependence of upconversion emission of power source, indicating that two-photon are responsible for the green and red photoluminescence. These polycrystalline materials exhibit properties that make them promising for use in solar energy systems, C-telecom band or solid-state laser devices. - Highlights: • Intense red upconversion emission. • Very easy way to prepare the material. • Potential application in solar cells. • Application for C-telecom band.

  12. Nonlinear upconversion based infrared spectroscopy on ZSM-5 zeolite

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kehlet, Louis Martinus; Beato, Pablo; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2017-01-01

    We present a spectroscopic measurement of zeolite ZSM-5 in the mid-IR following the methanol attachment to active sites at 200 °C. The spectra are measured using nonlinear frequency upconversion to the near-IR spectral region.......We present a spectroscopic measurement of zeolite ZSM-5 in the mid-IR following the methanol attachment to active sites at 200 °C. The spectra are measured using nonlinear frequency upconversion to the near-IR spectral region....

  13. Triplet-triplet annihilation photon-upconversion: towards solar energy applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gray, Victor; Dzebo, Damir; Abrahamsson, Maria; Albinsson, Bo; Moth-Poulsen, Kasper

    2014-06-14

    Solar power production and solar energy storage are important research areas for development of technologies that can facilitate a transition to a future society independent of fossil fuel based energy sources. Devices for direct conversion of solar photons suffer from poor efficiencies due to spectrum losses, which are caused by energy mismatch between the optical absorption of the devices and the broadband irradiation provided by the sun. In this context, photon-upconversion technologies are becoming increasingly interesting since they might offer an efficient way of converting low energy solar energy photons into higher energy photons, ideal for solar power production and solar energy storage. This perspective discusses recent progress in triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) photon-upconversion systems and devices for solar energy applications. Furthermore, challenges with evaluation of the efficiency of TTA-photon-upconversion systems are discussed and a general approach for evaluation and comparison of existing systems is suggested.

  14. Upconversion dynamics in Yb3+-Ho3+-doped fluoroindate glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, I.R.; Rodriguez, V.D.; Lavin, V.; Rodriguez-Mendoza, U.R.

    1998-01-01

    The mechanisms and dynamics of the upconversion emissions in Yb 3+ -Ho 3+ -doped fluoroindate glasses by exciting at 975 nm have been analysed. The upconversion efficiencies have been measured as a function of temperature in the range from 12 to 295 K. The temporal evolution of the 545- and 650-nm upconversion emissions obtained under flash excitation at 975 nm in codoped samples with 2.25 mol.% of Yb 3+ and 0.75 mol.% of Ho 3+ cannot be described using the energy migration model. This indicates that at this concentration of Yb 3+ the rapid migration regimen between these ions has not been reached. A model is proposed in order to explain the temporal evolution of these emissions taking into account energy migration between donors and backtransfer processes. (orig.)

  15. LOW POWER UPCONVERSION FOR SOLAR FUELS PHOTOCHEMISTRY

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Castellano, Felix N. [Bowling Green State University

    2013-08-05

    Earth abundant copper(I) diimine complexes represent a renewable and economically feasible alternative to commonly used heavy metal containing chromophores. In the metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) excited state, copper(I) diimine complexes typically undergo a significant structural rearrangement, leading to molecules with large Stokes shifts and very short excited state lifetimes, thereby limiting their usefulness as sensitizers in bimolecular electron and triplet energy transfer reactions. Strategically placed bulky substituents on the coordinating phenanthroline ligands have proven useful in restricting the transiently produced excited state Jahn-Teller distortion, leading to longer-lived excited states. By combining bulky sec-butyl groups in the 2- and 9- positions with methyl groups in the 3-,4-, 7-, and 8- positions, a remarkably long-lived (2.8 μs in DCM) copper(I) bis-phenanthroline complex, [Cu(dsbtmp)2]+, has been synthesized and characterized. Unlike other copper(I) diimine complexes, [Cu(dsbtmp)2]+ also retains a μs lifetime in coordinating solvents such as acetonitrile and water as a result of the cooperative sterics inherent in the molecular design. Preliminary results on the use of this complex in hydrogen-forming homogeneous photocatalysis is presented. Photon upconversion based on sensitized triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) represents a photochemical means to generate high-energy photons (or high-energy chemical products) from low-energy excitation, having potential applications in solar energy conversion and solar fuels producing devices. For the first time, synthetically facile and earth abundant Cu(I) MLCT sensitizers have been successfully incorporated into two distinct photochemical upconversion schemes, affording both red-to-green and orange-to-blue wavelength conversions. Preliminary results on aqueous-based photochemical upconversion as well as intramolecular Sn(IV) porphyrins containing axially coordinated aromatic hydrocarbon

  16. Investigation of luminescence properties in SiO2: Tb, Yb upconversion inverse opal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Zhengwen; Yan Dong; Song Zhiguo; Zhou Dacheng; Yu Xue; Yang Yong; Yin Zhaoyi; Yan Lei; Wang Rongfei; Wu Hangjun; Qiu Jianbei

    2012-01-01

    The SiO 2 : Tb, Yb inverse opals with photonic band gap at 465 or 543 nm were prepared, and an effect of photonic band gap on upconversion spontaneous emission from Tb 3+ was investigated. The results show that the photonic band gap has a significant influence on the upconversion emission of the SiO 2 : Tb, Yb inverse opals. The upconversion luminescence of the Tb 3+ ions is suppressed in the inverse opal compared with the luminescence of that of the reference sample. - Highlights: ► Upconversion emission from Tb 3+ was observed in the SiO 2 : Tb, Yb inverse opal. ► UC emission of Tb 3+ was modulated by controlling the structure of inverse opal. ► UC emission of Tb 3+ was depressed in the inverse opal.

  17. Nanostructured rare earth doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}: Structural, optical properties and their correlation with photonic applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pereira, Rafael Ramiro; Aquino, Felipe Thomaz [Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP CEP 14040-901 (Brazil); Ferrier, Alban [PSL Research University, Chimie ParisTech-CNRS, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, 75005 Paris (France); Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ Paris 06, 75005 Paris (France); Goldner, Philippe [PSL Research University, Chimie ParisTech-CNRS, Institut de Recherche de Chimie Paris, 75005 Paris (France); Gonçalves, Rogéria R., E-mail: rrgoncalves@ffclrp.usp.br [Departamento de Química, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, Ribeirão Preto, SP CEP 14040-901 (Brazil)

    2016-02-15

    In the present work, we report on a systematic study on structural and spectroscopic properties Eu{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+}-doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} prepared by sol–gel method. The Eu{sup 3+} ions were used as structural probe to determine the symmetry sites occupied by lanthanide ions. The Eu{sup 3+}-doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} nanocrystalline powders were annealed at different temperatures to verify how the different Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} crystalline phases affect the structure and the luminescence properties. Er{sup 3+}-doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} was prepared showing an intense NIR luminescence, and, visible luminescence on the green and red, deriving from upconversion process. The synthetized materials can find widespread applicability in photonics as red luminophor for white LED (with tricolor), optical amplifiers and upconverter materials. - Highlights: • Vis and NIR emission from nanostructured lanthanide doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}. • Eu{sup 3+}-doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} as Red luminophor. • Multicolor tunability of intense upconversion emission from lanthanide doped Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}. • Potential application as biological markers. • Broad band NIR emission.

  18. Digital multicolor printing: state of the art and future challenges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kipphan, Helmut

    1995-04-01

    During the last 5 years, digital techniques have become extremely important in the graphic arts industry. All sections in the production flow for producing multicolor printed products - prepress, printing and postpress - are influenced by digitalization, in an evolutionary and revolutionary way. New equipment and network techniques bring all the sections closer together. The focus is put on high-quality multicolor printing, together with high productivity. Conventional offset printing technology is compared with the leading nonimpact printing technologies. Computer to press is contrasted with computer to print techniques. The newest available digital multicolor presses are described - the direct imaging offset printing press from HEIDELBERG with new laser imaging technique as well as the INDIGO and XEIKON presses based on electrophotography. Regarding technical specifications, economic calculations and print quality, it is worked out that each technique has its own market segments. An outlook is given for future computer to press techniques and the potential of nonimpact printing technologies for advanced high-speed multicolor computer to print equipment. Synergy effects from the NIP-technologies to the conventional printing technologies and vice versa are possible for building up innovative new products, for example hybrid printing systems. It is also shown that there is potential for improving the print quality, based on special screening algorithms, and a higher number of grey levels per pixel by using NIP-technologies. As an intermediate step in digitalization of the production flow, but also as an economical solution computer to plate equipment is described. By producing printed products totally in a digital way, digital color proofing as well as color management systems are needed. The newest high-tech equipment using NIP-technologies for producing proofs is explained. All in all it is shown that the state of the art in digital multicolor printing has reached

  19. Luminescence properties in the visible of Dy:YAG/YAG planar waveguides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Klimczak, M., E-mail: m.klimczak@elka.pw.edu.p [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Malinowski, M. [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, Wolczynska 133, 01-919 Warsaw (Poland); Sarnecki, J. [Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, Wolczynska 133, 01-919 Warsaw (Poland); Piramidowicz, R. [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Telekomunikacja Polska Research and Development Centre, Obrzezna 7, 02-691 Warsaw (Poland)

    2009-12-15

    In this work, we investigate visible emission properties of dysprosium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) waveguides prepared by the liquid phase epitaxy (LPE) method, which allowed obtaining samples of activator concentrations ranging from 0.2 at% up to ca. 18 at%. This unique set of Dy:YAG/YAG waveguides has been carefully examined by means of highly resolved laser spectroscopy to explore the luminescence properties in the visible (yellow-blue) part of spectrum. In particular, the low-temperature absorption spectra have been recorded and analyzed, giving a more detailed information on energy levels' positions in these crystals. The concentration-dependant emission spectra and fluorescence dynamics profiles have been collected under direct excitation, enabling analysis of multi-ion processes responsible for concentration quenching. This, in turn, enabled optimization of activator concentration with respect to yellow emission efficiency. Additionally, the possible IR to visible up-conversion pathways have been discussed, giving a starting point for further investigations.

  20. Co-precipitation synthesis and upconversion luminescence ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Introduction. Researches of rare-earth-doped upconversion (UC) materials as fluorescent labels, temperature-sensing probes, solid-state lasers and new generation television screens have recently started to be considered1,2 due to their enhanced luminescent properties induced by the small size. UC process is the gener-.

  1. Measuring upconversion nanoparticles photoluminescence lifetime with FastFLIM and phasor plots

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yuansheng; Lee, Hsien-Ming; Qiu, Hailin; Liao, Shih-Chu Jeff; Coskun, Ulas; Barbieri, Beniamino

    2018-02-01

    Photon upconversion is a nonlinear process in which the sequential of absorption of two or more photons leads to the anti-stoke emission. Different than the conventional multiphoton excitation process, upconversion can be efficiently performed at low excitation densities. Recent developments in lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have led to a diversity of applications, including detecting and sensing of biomolecules, imaging of live cells, tissues and animals, cancer diagnostic and therapy, etc. Measuring the upconversion lifetime provides a new dimension of its imaging and opens a new window for its applications. Due to the long metastable intermediate excited state, UCNP typically has a long excited state lifetime ranging from sub-microseconds to milliseconds. Here, we present a novel development using the FastFLIM technique to measure UCNP lifetime by laser scanning confocal microscopy. FastFLIM is capable of measuring lifetime from 100 ps to 100 ms and features the high data collection efficiency (up to 140-million counts per second). Other than the traditional nonlinear least-square fitting analysis, the raw data acquired by FastFLIM can be directly processed by the model-free phasor plots approach for instant and unbiased lifetime results, providing the ideal routine for the UCNP photoluminescence lifetime microscopy imaging.

  2. Comparative studies of upconversion luminescence characteristics and cell bioimaging based on one-step synthesized upconversion nanoparticles capped with different functional groups

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsang, Ming-Kiu [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (China); Chan, Chi-Fai; Wong, Ka-Leung [Department of Chemistry, Hong Kong Baptist University (Hong Kong); Hao, Jianhua, E-mail: jh.hao@polyu.edu.hk [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (China)

    2015-01-15

    Herein, three types of upconverting NaGdF{sub 4}:Yb/Er nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been synthesized via one-step hydrothermal synthesis with polyethylene glycol (PEG), polyethylenimine (PEI) and 6-aminocapronic acid (6AA) functionalization. To evident the presence of these groups, FTIR spectra and ζ-potentials were measured to support the successful capping of PEG, PEI and 6AA on the UCNPs. The regular morphology and cubic phase of these functionalized UCNPs were attributed to the capping effect of the surfactants. Tunable upconversion luminescence (UCL) from red to green were observed under 980 nm laser excitation and the UCL tuning was attributed to the presence of various surface ligands. Moreover, surface group dependent UCL bioimaging was performed in HeLa cells. The enhanced UCL bioimaging demonstrated by PEI functionalized UCNPs evident high cell uptake. The significant cell uptake is explained by the electrostatic attraction between the amino groups (–NH{sub 2}) and the cell membrane. Moreover, the functionalized UCNPs demonstrated low cytotoxicity in MTT assay. Additional, paramagnetic property was presented by these UCNPs under magnetic field. - Highlights: • Tunable upconversion emission by capped functional groups under fixed composition. • Surface dependent upconversion luminescence bioimaging in HeLa cells. • Low cytotoxicity. • Additional paramagnetic property due to Gd{sup 3+} ions.

  3. Intracavity upconversion for IR absorption lidar: Comparison of linear and ring cavity designs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meng, Lichun; Høgstedt, Lasse; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2017-01-01

    Upconversion detection is a promising technology for measurement of IR signals in the 1.5 μm–2 μm region used for lidar remote sensing [1-2]. In comparison to conventional InGaAs detector, the upconversion detector can achieve IR detection with better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), not only due...

  4. Sensing using rare-earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hao, Shuwei; Chen, Guanying; Yang, Chunhui

    2013-01-01

    Optical sensing plays an important role in theranostics due to its capability to detect hint biochemical entities or molecular targets as well as to precisely monitor specific fundamental psychological processes. Rare-earth (RE) doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are promising for these endeavors due to their unique frequency converting capability; they emit efficient and sharp visible or ultraviolet (UV) luminescence via use of ladder-like energy levels of RE ions when excited at near infrared (NIR) light that are silent to tissues. These features allow not only a high penetration depth in biological tissues but also a high detection sensitivity. Indeed, the energy transfer between UCNPs and biomolecular or chemical indicators provide opportunities for high-sensitive bio- and chemical-sensing. A temperature-sensitive change of the intensity ratio between two close UC bands promises them for use in temperature mapping of a single living cell. In this work, we review recent investigations on using UCNPs for the detection of biomolecules (avidin, ATP, etc.), ions (cyanide, mecury, etc.), small gas molecules (oxygen, carbon dioxide, ammonia, etc.), as well as for in vitro temperature sensing. We also briefly summarize chemical methods in synthesizing UCNPs of high efficiency that are important for the detection limit.

  5. Limitations on the upconversion of ion sound to Langmuir turbulence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vlahos, L.; Papadopoulos, K.

    1982-01-01

    The weak turbulence theory of Tsytovich, Stenflo and Wilhelmsson (1981) for evaluation of the nonlinear transfer of ion acoustic waves to Langmuir waves is shown to be limited in its region of validity to the level of ion acoustic waves. It is also demonstrated that, in applying the upconversion of ion sound to Langmuir waves for electron acceleration, nonlinear scattering should be self-consistently included, with a suppression of the upconversion process resulting. The impossibility of accelerating electrons by such a process for any reasonable physical system is thereby reaffirmed.

  6. Inherent Limitations in Mid-Wave and Long-Wave-IR Upconversion Detector

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barh, Ajanta; Tseng, Yu-Pei; Pedersen, Christian

    2017-01-01

    Inherent limitations in terms of optical losses, selection of nonlinear crystal(s), detection efficiency and pumping conditions in mid-wave (3-5 µm) and long-wave (8-12 µm) infrared frequency upconversion modules are investigated in this paper.......Inherent limitations in terms of optical losses, selection of nonlinear crystal(s), detection efficiency and pumping conditions in mid-wave (3-5 µm) and long-wave (8-12 µm) infrared frequency upconversion modules are investigated in this paper....

  7. Sol–gel glass-ceramics comprising rare-earth doped SnO2 and LaF3 nanocrystals: an efficient simultaneous UV and IR to visible converter

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanes, A. C.; Castillo, J. del; Méndez-Ramos, J.; Rodríguez, V. D.

    2011-01-01

    We report a novel class of nanostructured glass-ceramics comprising two co-existing rare-earth doped nanocrystalline phases, SnO 2 semiconductor nanocrystal (quantum dot), and LaF 3 , presenting sizes at around 4.6 and 9.8 nm, respectively, embedded into a silica glass matrix for an efficient simultaneous UV and IR to visible photon conversion. On one hand, the wide and strong UV absorption by SnO 2 quantum dot and subsequent efficient energy transfer to Eu 3+ and, on the other hand, the also very efficient IR to visible up-conversion with the pair Yb 3+ –Er 3+ partitioned into low phonon LaF 3 nanocrystalline environment, yield to visible emissions with application in improving the spectral response of photovoltaic solar cells.Graphical AbstractWe report a novel class of nanostructured glass-ceramics comprising two co-existing rare-earth doped nanocrystalline phases, SnO 2 semiconductor nanocrystal (quantum dot) and LaF 3 , presenting sizes at around 4.6 and 9.8 nm, respectively, embedded into a silica glass matrix for an efficient simultaneous UV and IR to visible photon conversion. On one hand, the wide and strong UV absorption by SnO 2 quantum dot and subsequent efficient energy transfer to Eu 3+ and, on the other hand, the also very efficient IR to visible up-conversion with the pair Yb 3+ –Er 3+ partitioned into low phonon LaF 3 nanocrystalline environment, yield to visible emissions with application in improving the spectral response of photovoltaic solar cells.

  8. Upconversion imaging using short-wave infrared picosecond pulses

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mathez, Morgan David; Rodrigo, Peter John; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2017-01-01

    beam diameter to upconvert a wider range of signal spatial frequencies in the crystal. The 1877 nm signal is converted into 849 nm—enabling an image to be acquired by a silicon CCD camera. The measured size of the smallest resolvable element of this imaging system is consistent with the value predicted...... repetition rate of 21.7 MHz. Due to synchronization of high peak-power pulses, efficient upconversion is achieved in a single-pass setup that employs a bulk lithium niobate crystal. Optimizing the temporal overlap of the pulses for high upconversion efficiency enables us to exploit a relatively large pump...... by an improved model that considers the combined image blurring effect due to finite pump beam size, thick nonlinear crystal, and polychromatic infrared illumination....

  9. Patterned direct-write and screen-printing of NIR-to-visible upconverting inks for security applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumenthal, Tyler; Meruga, Jeevan; Stanley May, P; Kellar, Jon; Cross, William; Ankireddy, Krishnamraju; Vunnam, Swathi; Luu, Quocanh N

    2012-05-11

    Two methods of direct-write printing for producing highly resolved features of a polymer impregnated with luminescent upconversion phosphors for security applications are presented. The printed polymer structures range in shape from features to text. The thin polymer features were deposited by direct-write printing of atomized material as well as by screen-printing techniques. These films contain highly luminescent lanthanide-doped, rare-earth nanocrystals, β-NaYF₄:3%Er, 17%Yb, which are capped with oleic acid. This capping agent allows the nanocrystals to disperse throughout the films for full detailing of printed features. Upconversion of deposited features was obtained using a 980 nm wavelength laser with emission of upconverted light in the visible region at both 540 and 660 nm. Features were deposited onto high bond paper, Kapton®, and glass to demonstrate possible covert and forensic security printing applications, as they are printed in various features and invisible to 'naked-eye' viewing at low concentrations of nanocrystals.

  10. Patterned direct-write and screen-printing of NIR-to-visible upconverting inks for security applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blumenthal, Tyler; Meruga, Jeevan; Kellar, Jon; Cross, William; Ankireddy, Krishnamraju; Vunnam, Swathi; Stanley May, P; Luu, QuocAnh N

    2012-01-01

    Two methods of direct-write printing for producing highly resolved features of a polymer impregnated with luminescent upconversion phosphors for security applications are presented. The printed polymer structures range in shape from features to text. The thin polymer features were deposited by direct-write printing of atomized material as well as by screen-printing techniques. These films contain highly luminescent lanthanide-doped, rare-earth nanocrystals, β-NaYF 4 :3%Er, 17%Yb, which are capped with oleic acid. This capping agent allows the nanocrystals to disperse throughout the films for full detailing of printed features. Upconversion of deposited features was obtained using a 980 nm wavelength laser with emission of upconverted light in the visible region at both 540 and 660 nm. Features were deposited onto high bond paper, Kapton ® , and glass to demonstrate possible covert and forensic security printing applications, as they are printed in various features and invisible to ‘naked-eye’ viewing at low concentrations of nanocrystals. (paper)

  11. Patterned direct-write and screen-printing of NIR-to-visible upconverting inks for security applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blumenthal, Tyler; Meruga, Jeevan; May, P. Stanley; Kellar, Jon; Cross, William; Ankireddy, Krishnamraju; Vunnam, Swathi; Luu, QuocAnh N.

    2012-05-01

    Two methods of direct-write printing for producing highly resolved features of a polymer impregnated with luminescent upconversion phosphors for security applications are presented. The printed polymer structures range in shape from features to text. The thin polymer features were deposited by direct-write printing of atomized material as well as by screen-printing techniques. These films contain highly luminescent lanthanide-doped, rare-earth nanocrystals, β-NaYF4:3%Er, 17%Yb, which are capped with oleic acid. This capping agent allows the nanocrystals to disperse throughout the films for full detailing of printed features. Upconversion of deposited features was obtained using a 980 nm wavelength laser with emission of upconverted light in the visible region at both 540 and 660 nm. Features were deposited onto high bond paper, Kapton®, and glass to demonstrate possible covert and forensic security printing applications, as they are printed in various features and invisible to ‘naked-eye’ viewing at low concentrations of nanocrystals.

  12. Redox-induced reversible luminescence switching of cerium-doped upconversion nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Huang, Yanan [College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); International Laboratory for Adaptive Bio-nanotechnology, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China); Xiao, Qingbo, E-mail: qbxiao2011@sinano.ac.cn [International Laboratory for Adaptive Bio-nanotechnology, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China); Wang, Jian [College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); International Laboratory for Adaptive Bio-nanotechnology, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China); Xi, Yonglan [Laboratory for Agricultural Wastes Treatment and Recycling Institute of Agricultural Resources and Environment, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Science, Nanjing 210014 (China); Li, Fujin [International Laboratory for Adaptive Bio-nanotechnology, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China); Feng, Yamin [College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); International Laboratory for Adaptive Bio-nanotechnology, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China); Shi, Liyi [College of Sciences, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200444 (China); Lin, Hongzhen, E-mail: hzlin2010@sinano.ac.cn [International Laboratory for Adaptive Bio-nanotechnology, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics (SINANO), Chinese Academy of Science, Suzhou 215123 (China)

    2016-05-15

    Smart upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) that can be reversibly switched between two or more luminescent states by certain external stimuli have attracted considerable attention due to their great potential in biological applications. Here we report for the first time a type of redox-switchable UCNPs by codoping NaGdF{sub 4}:Yb/Er nanorods with the redox-active Ce{sup 3+}/Ce{sup 4+} ion pairs. A reversible switching of their UC luminescence intensity was observed upon the variation of the surrounding redox environments. We show solid proof that the luminescence switching is caused by the tailoring of the NaGdF{sub 4} host crystal structure in response to changing redox state of the codoped cerium ions. A proof-of-concept example is further demonstrated by using these UCNPs for probing the dynamical variation of redox environments in biological tissues. - Highlights: • Synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles doped with Ce{sup 3+}/Ce{sup 4+} ions. • The precise and reversible modification of crystal structure by redox reactions. • Tuning the upconversion luminescence by tailoring the crystal structure.

  13. Multicolor Tunable Luminescence Based on Tb3+/Eu3+ Doping through a Facile Hydrothermal Route.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chao; Zhou, Ting; Jiang, Jing; Geng, Huiyuan; Ning, Zhanglei; Lai, Xin; Bi, Jian; Gao, Daojiang

    2017-08-09

    Ln 3+ -doped fluoride is a far efficient material for realizing multicolor emission, which plays an important part in full-color displays, biolabeling, and MRI. However, studies on the multicolor tuning properties of Ln 3+ -doped fluoride are mainly concentrated on a complicated process using three or more dopants, and the principle of energy transfer mechanism is still unclear. Herein, multicolor tunable emission is successfully obtained only by codoping with Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ ions in β-NaGdF 4 submicrocrystals via a facile hydrothermal route. Our work reveals that various emission colors can be obtained and tuned from red, orange-red, pink, and blue-green to green under single excitation energy via codoping Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ with rationally changed Eu 3+ /Tb 3+ molar ratio due to the energy transfer between Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ ions in the β-NaGdF 4 host matrix. Meanwhile, the energy transfer mechanism in β-NaGdF 4 : x Eu 3+ /y Tb 3+ (x + y = 5 mol %) submicrocrystals is investigated. Our results evidence the potential of the dopants' distribution density as an effective way for analyzing energy transfer and multicolor-controlled mechanism in other rare earth fluoride luminescence materials. Discussions on the multicolor luminescence under a certain dopant concentration based on single host and wavelength excitation are essential toward the goal of the practical applications in the field of light display systems and optoelectronic devices.

  14. Preparation and up-conversion luminescence of SrAlF{sub 5}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} nanorods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao, Jun [College of Life Science, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, Liaoning 116600 (China); Department of Physics, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, Liaoning 116026 (China); Hua, Ruinian, E-mail: rnhua@dlnu.edu.cn [College of Life Science, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, Liaoning 116600 (China); Zhang, Wei; Feng, Zhiqing; Tang, Dongxin; Na, Liyan [College of Life Science, Dalian Nationalities University, Dalian, Liaoning 116600 (China); Chen, Baojiu, E-mail: chenmbj@sohu.com [Department of Physics, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, Liaoning 116026 (China)

    2014-03-05

    Graphical abstract: The SrAlF{sub 5} nanorods co-doped with various Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} concentrations was synthetized via a microemulsion-hydrothermal process for the first time. It was found that the optimum doping concentration of Yb{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+} in SrAlF{sub 5} matrix was about 4 mol%. Furthermore, the temperature effect of upconversion luminescence was investigated. It was also found that the post heat-treatment could greatly improve upconversion luminescence. Highlights: • SrAlF{sub 5}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} nanorods were synthesized via a microemulsion-hydrothermal process. • Crystal structure and morphology were characterized by using XRD and FESEM. • The upconversion luminescence intensity depend on LD working current was studied. • The post heat-treatment could greatly improve upconversion luminescence. -- Abstract: Yb{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+} co-doped SrAlF{sub 5} nanorods with average diameter of 35 nm and average length of 400 nm were synthesized via a microemulsion-hydrothermal process, and their crystal structure and morphology were characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), respectively. The optimum doping concentration of Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} in SrAlF{sub 5} matrix was about 4 mol%. The upconversion luminescence intensity dependence on the laser diode (LD) working current was studied and the possible upconversion mechanism was analyzed. Furthermore, the temperature effect of upconversion luminescence was investigated. It was also found that the post heat-treatment could greatly improve upconversion luminescence.

  15. Structural phase transformations in KYF4:Er3+ nanoparticles synthesized by hydrothermal method for upconversion applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamini, S.; Priya, P. Sakthi; Gunaseelan, M.; Senthilselvan, J.

    2017-05-01

    KYF4:10%Er3+ upconversion nanoparticles was synthesized by hydrothermal method with potassium hydroxides (KOH) as precursor. Prepared samples were calcined at 600 °C using double crucible method. XRD patterns of as prepared KYF4 and KYF4:Er3+ samples confirm the tetragonal structure, which is well matched with the standard data. Surface morphology is recorded for 600 °C calcined samples using High resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) shows spheroidal shape with particle sizes of ˜80 nm. From UV-Visible and EDX spectroscopy presence of Er3+ in KYF4:10%Er3+ is confirmed. The prepared KYF4:10%Er3+ can be used to improve efficiency of solar cells, display devices and fiber optical telecommunication applications.

  16. Near-infrared (NIR) optogenetics using up-conversion system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hososhima, Shoko; Yuasa, Hideya; Ishizuka, Toru; Yawo, Hiromu

    2015-03-01

    Non-invasive remote control technologies designed to manipulate neural functions for a comprehensive and quantitative understanding of the neuronal network in the brain as well as for the therapy of neurological disorders have long been awaited. Recently, it has become possible to optically manipulate the neuronal activity using biological photo-reactive molecules such as channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2). However, ChR2 and its relatives are mostly reactive to visible light which does not effectively penetrate through biological tissues. In contrast, near-infrared (NIR) light penetrates deep into the tissues because biological systems are almost transparent to light within this so-called `imaging window'. Here we used lanthanide nanoparticles (LNPs), which are composed of rare-earth elements, as luminous bodies to activate channelrhodopsins (ChRs) since they absorb low-energy NIR light to emit high-energy visible light (up-conversion). Neuron-glioma-hybrid ND-7/23 cells were cultured with LNP(NaYF4:Sc/Yb/Er) particles (peak emission, 543 nm) and transfected to express C1V1 (peak absorbance, 539 nm), a chimera of ChR1 and VChR1. The photocurrents were generated in response to NIR laser light (976 nm) to a level comparable to that evoked by a filtered Hg lamp (530-550 nm). NIR light pulses also evoked action potentials in the cultured neurons that expressed C1V1. It is suggested that the green luminescent light emitted from LNPs effectively activated C1V1 to generate the photocurrent. With the optimization of LNPs, acceptor photo-reactive biomolecules and optics, this system could be applied to non-invasively actuate neurons deep in the brain.

  17. Solid state photon upconversion utilizing thermally activated delayed fluorescence molecules as triplet sensitizer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Tony C.; Congreve, Daniel N.; Baldo, Marc A., E-mail: baldo@mit.edu [Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2015-07-20

    The ability to upconvert light is useful for a range of applications, from biological imaging to solar cells. But modern technologies have struggled to upconvert incoherent incident light at low intensities. Here, we report solid state photon upconversion employing triplet-triplet exciton annihilation in an organic semiconductor, sensitized by a thermally activated-delayed fluorescence (TADF) dye. Compared to conventional phosphorescent sensitizers, the TADF dye maximizes the wavelength shift in upconversion due to its small singlet-triplet splitting. The efficiency of energy transfer from the TADF dye is 9.1%, and the conversion yield of sensitizer exciton pairs to singlet excitons in the annihilator is 1.1%. Our results demonstrate upconversion in solid state geometries and with non-heavy metal-based sensitizer materials.

  18. Unclonable Security Codes Designed from Multicolor Luminescent Lanthanide-Doped Y2O3 Nanorods for Anticounterfeiting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Pawan; Nagpal, Kanika; Gupta, Bipin Kumar

    2017-04-26

    The duplicity of important documents has emerged as a serious problem worldwide. Therefore, many efforts have been devoted to developing easy and fast anticounterfeiting techniques with multicolor emission. Herein, we report the synthesis of multicolor luminescent lanthanide-doped Y 2 O 3 nanorods by hydrothermal method and their usability in designing of unclonable security codes for anticounterfeiting applications. The spectroscopic features of nanorods are probed by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ , Y 2 O 3 :Tb 3+ , and Y 2 O 3 :Ce 3+ nanorods emit hypersensitive red (at 611 nm), strong green (at 541 nm), and bright blue (at 438 nm) emissions at 254, 305, and 381 nm, respectively. The SEM and TEM/HRTEM results reveal that these nanorods have diameter and length in the range of 80-120 nm and ∼2-5 μm, respectively. The two-dimensional spatially resolved photoluminescence intensity distribution in nanorods is also investigated by using confocal photoluminescence microscopic technique. Further, highly luminescent unclonable security codes are printed by a simple screen printing technique using luminescent ink fabricated from admixing of lanthanide doped multicolor nanorods in PVC medium. The prospective use of these multicolor luminescent nanorods provide a new opportunity for easily printable, highly stable, and unclonable multicolor luminescent security codes for anti-counterfeiting applications.

  19. Upconversion-based receivers for quantum hacking-resistant quantum key distribution

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Nitin; Kanter, Gregory S.

    2016-07-01

    We propose a novel upconversion (sum frequency generation)-based quantum-optical system design that can be employed as a receiver (Bob) in practical quantum key distribution systems. The pump governing the upconversion process is produced and utilized inside the physical receiver, making its access or control unrealistic for an external adversary (Eve). This pump facilitates several properties which permit Bob to define and control the modes that can participate in the quantum measurement. Furthermore, by manipulating and monitoring the characteristics of the pump pulses, Bob can detect a wide range of quantum hacking attacks launched by Eve.

  20. Upconversion NaYF4 Nanoparticles for Size Dependent Cell Imaging and Concentration Dependent Detection of Rhodamine B

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shigang Hu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs based on NaYF4 nanocrystals with strong upconversion luminescence are synthesized by the solvothermal method. The emission color of these NaYF4 upconversion nanoparticles can be easily modulated by the doping. These NaYF4 upconversion nanocrystals can be employed as fluorescence donors to pump fluorescent organic molecules. For example, the efficient luminescence resonant energy transfer (LRET can be achieved by controlling the distance between NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs and Rhodamine B (RB. NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs can emit green light at the wavelength of ~540 nm while RB can efficiently absorb the green light of ~540 nm to emit red light of 610 nm. The LRET efficiency is highly dependent on the concentration of NaYF4 upconversion fluorescent donors. For the fixed concentration of 3.2 µg/mL RB, the optimal concentration of NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+ UCNPs is equal to 4 mg/mL which generates the highest LRET signal ratio. In addition, it is addressed that the upconversion nanoparticles with diameter of 200 nm are suitable for imaging the cells larger than 10 µm with clear differentiation between cell walls and cytoplasm.

  1. Competitive upconversion-linked immunosorbent assay for the\

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hlaváček, Antonín; Farka, Z.; Hübner, M.; Horňáková, V.; Němeček, D.; Niessner, R.; Skládal, P.; Knopp, D.; Gorris, H H.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 88, č. 11 (2016), s. 6011-6017 ISSN 0003-2700 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-28254S Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : photon-upconversion * diclofenac * immunoassay Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 6.320, year: 2016

  2. Competitive upconversion-linked immunosorbent assay for the\

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hlaváček, Antonín; Farka, Z.; Hübner, M.; Horňáková, V.; Němeček, D.; Niessner, R.; Skládal, P.; Knopp, D.; Gorris, H H.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 88, č. 11 (2016), s. 6011-6017 ISSN 0003-2700 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA14-28254S Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : photon-upconversion * diclofenac * immunoassay Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry , Separation Impact factor: 6.320, year: 2016

  3. Improved space bandwidth product in image upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Pedersen, Christian; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2012-01-01

    We present a technique increasing the space bandwidth product of a nonlinear image upconversion process used for spectral imaging. The technique exploits the strong dependency of the phase-matching condition in sum frequency generation (SFG) on the angle of propagation of the interacting fields...

  4. Mapping nonrecombining regions in barley using multicolor FISH

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Karafiátová, Miroslava; Bartoš, Jan; Kopecký, David; Ma, L.; Sato, K.; Houben, A.; Stein, N.; Doležel, Jaroslav

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 21, č. 8 (2013), s. 739-751 ISSN 0967-3849 Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) ED0007/01/01 Program:ED Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : cDNA * multicolor FISH * low-copy FISH Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 2.688, year: 2013

  5. Co-precipitation synthesis and upconversion luminescence ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    ... light: strong green (539 nm), weak red (670 nm) and near-infrared (760 nm). The upconversion luminescence is based on two-photon absorption by the energy transfer from the donor (Yb3+) to the acceptor (Ho3+). All the results indicate that ZrO2:Yb3+-Ho3+ phosphors could be a promising biological labelling material.

  6. Upconversion applied for mid-IR hyperspectral image acquisition

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Kehlet, Louis Martinus; Sanders, Nicolai Højer

    2015-01-01

    Different schemes for upconversion mid-IR hyperspectral imaging is implemented and compared in terms of spectral coverage, spectral resolution, speed and noise. Phasematch scanning and scanning of the object within the field of view is considered....

  7. Construction of Hierarchical Polymer Brushes on Upconversion Nanoparticles via NIR-Light-Initiated RAFT Polymerization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Zhongxi; Deng, Xiaoran; Liu, Bei; Huang, Shanshan; Ma, Pingan; Hou, Zhiyao; Cheng, Ziyong; Lin, Jun; Luan, Shifang

    2017-09-13

    Photoinduced reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization generally adopts high-energy ultraviolet (UV) or blue light. In combination with photoredox catalyst, the excitation light wavelength was extended to the visible and even near-infrared (NIR) region for photoinduced electron transfer RAFT polymerization. In this report, we introduce for the first time a surface NIR-light-initiated RAFT polymerization on upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) without adding any photocatalyst and construct a functional inorganic core/polymer shell nanohybrid for application in cancer theranostics. The multilayer core-shell UCNPs (NaYF 4 :Yb/Tm@NaYbF 4 :Gd@NaNdF 4 :Yb@NaYF 4 ), with surface anchorings of chain transfer agents, can serve as efficient NIR-to-UV light transducers for initiating the RAFT polymerization. A hierarchical double block copolymer brush, consisting of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(oligo(ethylene oxide)methacrylate-co-2-(2-methoxy-ethoxy)ethyl methacrylate) (PEG for short), was grafted from the surface in sequence. The targeting arginine-glycine-aspartic (RGD) peptide was modified at the end of the copolymer through the trithiolcarbonate end group. After loading of doxorubicin, the UCNPs@PAA-b-PEG-RGD exhibited an enhanced U87MG cancer cell uptake efficiency and cytotoxicity. Besides, the unique upconversion luminescence of the nanohybrids was used for the autofluoresence-free cell imaging and labeling. Therefore, our strategy verified that UCNPs could efficiently activate RAFT polymerization by NIR photoirradiation and construct the complex nanohybrids, exhibiting prospective biomedical applications due to the low phototoxicity and deep penetration of NIR light.

  8. Spectrally shaped broadband study of up-conversion in Y2O3:Er3+

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lytle, A.L.; Gagnon, E.; Tulchinsky, L.; Krebs, J.K.

    2014-01-01

    We present a novel scheme for studying up-conversion through excited state absorption (ESA) by using a broadband excitation source with spectral shaping capabilities. Up-conversion processes have typically been investigated using a single, narrowband excitation source, when the two steps of the process are coincident in frequency, which is often made possible by broadening mechanisms of the intermediate excited state manifolds. Thus, narrowband sources are limited in the systems they can excite and what material information they can provide. With broadband light, we are able to drive up-conversion with non-coincident frequencies as well. Finally, by windowing the spectrum, we determine the optimal excitation bandwidth for low-concentration (1%) Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ nanocrystals. - Highlights: • Broadband excitation light is used to drive up-conversion in Y 2 O 3 :Er 3+ . • Broadband light excites all available transitions in the two-photon process. • A spectral shaping technique is used to alter the excitation frequencies present. • The optimal excitation bandwidth is measured by windowing the spectrum. • Broadband excitation reveals information inaccessible by narrowband sources

  9. Photon correlation in single-photon frequency upconversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Xiaorong; Huang, Kun; Pan, Haifeng; Wu, E; Zeng, Heping

    2012-01-30

    We experimentally investigated the intensity cross-correlation between the upconverted photons and the unconverted photons in the single-photon frequency upconversion process with multi-longitudinal mode pump and signal sources. In theoretical analysis, with this multi-longitudinal mode of both signal and pump sources system, the properties of the signal photons could also be maintained as in the single-mode frequency upconversion system. Experimentally, based on the conversion efficiency of 80.5%, the joint probability of simultaneously detecting at upconverted and unconverted photons showed an anti-correlation as a function of conversion efficiency which indicated the upconverted photons were one-to-one from the signal photons. While due to the coherent state of the signal photons, the intensity cross-correlation function g(2)(0) was shown to be equal to unity at any conversion efficiency, agreeing with the theoretical prediction. This study will benefit the high-speed wavelength-tunable quantum state translation or photonic quantum interface together with the mature frequency tuning or longitudinal mode selection techniques.

  10. Solar-Pumping Upconversion of Interfacial Coordination Nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishii, Ayumi; Hasegawa, Miki

    2017-01-30

    An interfacial coordination nanoparticle successfully exhibited an upconversion blue emission excited by very low-power light irradiation, such as sunlight. The interfacial complex was composed of Yb ions and indigo dye, which formed a nano-ordered thin shell layer on a Tm 2 O 3 nanoparticle. At the surface of the Tm 2 O 3 particle, the indigo dye can be excited by non-laser excitation at 640 nm, following the intramolecular energy transfer from the indigo dye to the Yb ions. Additionally, the excitation energy of the Yb ion was upconverted to the blue emission of the Tm ion at 475 nm. This upconversion blue emission was achieved by excitation with a CW Xe lamp at an excitation power of 0.14 mW/cm 2 , which is significantly lower than the solar irradiation power of 1.4 mW/cm 2 at 640 ± 5 nm.

  11. Size-independent peak shift between normal and upconversion ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    2014-02-12

    Feb 12, 2014 ... 1Crystal Growth Centre, Anna University, Chennai 600 025, India. 2Laser Physics ... the power-dependent upconversion photoluminescence (UCPL), it has been shown that the origin of UCPL ... For the past few years, studies.

  12. Comparison of conventional color fundus photography and multicolor imaging in choroidal or retinal lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muftuoglu, Ilkay Kilic; Gaber, Raouf; Bartsch, Dirk-Uwe; Meshi, Amit; Goldbaum, Michael; Freeman, William R

    2018-04-01

    Our purpose was to compare the characteristics of the retinal and choroidal lesions including choroidal nevus, choroidal melanoma and congenital hypertrophy of the retina pigment epithelium using conventional color fundus photography (CFP) and multicolor imaging (MCI). The paired images of patients with retinal or choroidal lesions were assessed for the visibility of lesion's border, halo and drusen using a grading scale (0-2). The area of the lesion was measured on both imaging modalities. The same grading was also done on the individual color channels of MCI for a further evaluation. Thirty-three eyes of 33 patients were included. There were no significant differences in the mean border, drusen and halo visibility scores between the two imaging modalities (p = 0.12, p = 0.70, p = 0.35). However, the mean area of the lesion was significantly smaller on MCI than that on CFP (14.9±3.3 versus 18.7±3.4 mm 2 , p = 0.01). The appearance of choroidal and/ or retinal lesions on MCI may be different than that on CFP. Though MCI can provide similar information with CFP for the features of retinal and/ or choroidal lesions including border, halo and drusen; the infrared light reflection on MCI underestimates the extent of the choroidal lesion by 33%.

  13. Mid infrared upconversion spectroscopy using diffuse reflectance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanders, Nicolai Højer; Kehlet, Louis M.; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin

    2014-01-01

    specifically that upconversion methods can be deployed using a diffuse reflectance setup where the test sample is irradiated by a thermal light source, i.e. a globar. The diffuse reflectance geometry is particularly well suited when a transmission setup cannot be used. This situation may happen for highly...

  14. Multicolor pattern scan laser for diabetic retinopathy with cataract

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Takao; Hirano; Yasuhiro; Iesato; Toshinori; Murata

    2014-01-01

    · AIM: To evaluate the ability of various laser wavelengths in delivering sufficient burns to the retina in eyes with cataract using a new multicolor pattern scan laser with green(532 nm), yellow(577 nm), and red(647 nm)lasers.·METHODS: The relationship between the Emery-Little(EL) degree of cataract severity and the laser wavelength required to deliver adequate burns was investigated in102 diabetic eyes. Treatment time, total number of laser shots, and intra-operative pain were assessed as well.·RESULTS: All EL-1 grade eyes and 50% of EL-2 eyes were successfully treated with the green laser, while 50%of EL-2 eyes, 96% of EL-3 eyes, and 50% of EL-4 eyes required the yellow laser. The red laser was effective in the remaining 4% of EL-3 and 50% of EL-4 eyes.·CONCLUSION: Longer wavelength lasers are more effective in delivering laser burns through cataract when we use a multicolor pattern scan laser system.

  15. A multicolor imaging pyrometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frish, Michael B.; Frank, Jonathan H.

    1989-06-01

    A multicolor imaging pyrometer was designed for accurately and precisely measuring the temperature distribution histories of small moving samples. The device projects six different color images of the sample onto a single charge coupled device array that provides an RS-170 video signal to a computerized frame grabber. The computer automatically selects which one of the six images provides useful data, and converts that information to a temperature map. By measuring the temperature of molten aluminum heated in a kiln, a breadboard version of the device was shown to provide high accuracy in difficult measurement situations. It is expected that this pyrometer will ultimately find application in measuring the temperature of materials undergoing radiant heating in a microgravity acoustic levitation furnace.

  16. Synthesis and up-conversion luminescence of Yb 3+

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    1.5Na0.5)F6 nanorods synthesized by employing a facile hydrothermal method. Numbers of Ho3+ ion up-conversion emissions have been observed under 980 nm infrared diode laser excitation. Three UC emissions of interest, ultraviolet, ...

  17. Functionalized upconversion nanoparticles for cancer imaging and therapy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Liu, K.

    2014-01-01

    Near infrared (NIR) light administrated fluorescence imaging and photodynamic therapy (PDT) have shown great promising in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Especially with the recent development of the rare earth ions doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), much attentions have been attracted in

  18. Influence of excitation light on the frequency upconversion of trivalent lanthanide ions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu Zhenxing; Zheng Hairong; Tian Yu; Zhang Zhenglong; Cui Min

    2010-01-01

    The upconversion mechanisms of the 1 D 2 level of Tm 3+ ion under different excitation lights were analyzed. The influences of the excitation lights on the upconversion process, nonradiative relaxation from level 3 F 2 to 3 H 4 and fluorescence properties were investigated. It was shown that the one-color cw excitation could affect the profile of fluorescence, while information of the nonradiative relaxation could not be extracted. The nonradiative relaxation rate measured with the one-color pulsed excitation in crystal phase was in agreement with what was obtained in the free-standing nanometer crystal particles through the two-color pulsed excitation. The characteristics of the fluorescent emissions of Tm 3+ ions doped in various host materials were also discussed under different excitation lights. As a result of the discussion, a possible way to obtain nonradiative relaxation rate directly from a spectroscopic method in frequency domain was proposed. The study can be extended to other trivalent lanthanide ions that have upconversion through excited state absorption.

  19. Mid-IR Imaging: Upconversion imager improves IR gas sensing

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sahlberg, Anna-Lena; Li, Zhongshan; Høgstedt, Lasse

    2014-01-01

    A nonlinear upconversion detector shows near-shot-noise-limited performance and compares favorably—while adding additional imaging information—to conventional cryogenic detectors in the measurement of trace-level gases at atmospheric pressure....

  20. Achieving high-efficiency emission depletion nanoscopy by employing cross relaxation in upconversion nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Qiuqiang; Liu, Haichun; Wang, Baoju; Wu, Qiusheng; Pu, Rui; Zhou, Chao; Huang, Bingru; Peng, Xingyun; Ågren, Hans; He, Sailing

    2017-10-20

    Stimulated emission depletion microscopy provides a powerful sub-diffraction imaging modality for life science studies. Conventionally, stimulated emission depletion requires a relatively high light intensity to obtain an adequate depletion efficiency through only light-matter interaction. Here we show efficient emission depletion for a class of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles with the assistance of interionic cross relaxation, which significantly lowers the laser intensity requirements of optical depletion. We demonstrate two-color super-resolution imaging using upconversion nanoparticles (resolution ~ 66 nm) with a single pair of excitation/depletion beams. In addition, we show super-resolution imaging of immunostained cytoskeleton structures of fixed cells (resolution ~ 82 nm) using upconversion nanoparticles. These achievements provide a new perspective for the development of photoswitchable luminescent probes and will broaden the applications of lanthanide-doped nanoparticles for sub-diffraction microscopic imaging.

  1. Epitaxial Growth of Hetero-Ln-MOF Hierarchical Single Crystals for Domain- and Orientation-Controlled Multicolor Luminescence 3D Coding Capability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Mei; Zhu, Yi-Xuan; Wu, Kai; Chen, Ling; Hou, Ya-Jun; Yin, Shao-Yun; Wang, Hai-Ping; Fan, Ya-Nan; Su, Cheng-Yong

    2017-11-13

    Core-shell or striped heteroatomic lanthanide metal-organic framework hierarchical single crystals were obtained by liquid-phase anisotropic epitaxial growth, maintaining identical periodic organization while simultaneously exhibiting spatially segregated structure. Different types of domain and orientation-controlled multicolor photophysical models are presented, which show either visually distinguishable or visible/near infrared (NIR) emissive colors. This provides a new bottom-up strategy toward the design of hierarchical molecular systems, offering high-throughput and multiplexed luminescence color tunability and readability. The unique capability of combining spectroscopic coding with 3D (three-dimensional) microscale spatial coding is established, providing potential applications in anti-counterfeiting, color barcoding, and other types of integrated and miniaturized optoelectronic materials and devices. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Epitaxial growth of hetero-Ln-MOF hierarchical single crystals for domain- and orientation-controlled multicolor luminescence 3D coding capability

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pan, Mei; Zhu, Yi-Xuan; Wu, Kai; Chen, Ling; Hou, Ya-Jun; Yin, Shao-Yun; Wang, Hai-Ping; Fan, Ya-Nan; Su, Cheng-Yong

    2017-01-01

    Core-shell or striped heteroatomic lanthanide metal-organic framework hierarchical single crystals were obtained by liquid-phase anisotropic epitaxial growth, maintaining identical periodic organization while simultaneously exhibiting spatially segregated structure. Different types of domain and orientation-controlled multicolor photophysical models are presented, which show either visually distinguishable or visible/near infrared (NIR) emissive colors. This provides a new bottom-up strategy toward the design of hierarchical molecular systems, offering high-throughput and multiplexed luminescence color tunability and readability. The unique capability of combining spectroscopic coding with 3D (three-dimensional) microscale spatial coding is established, providing potential applications in anti-counterfeiting, color barcoding, and other types of integrated and miniaturized optoelectronic materials and devices. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  3. Epitaxial growth of hetero-Ln-MOF hierarchical single crystals for domain- and orientation-controlled multicolor luminescence 3D coding capability

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pan, Mei; Zhu, Yi-Xuan; Wu, Kai; Chen, Ling; Hou, Ya-Jun; Yin, Shao-Yun; Wang, Hai-Ping; Fan, Ya-Nan [MOE Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, Lehn Institute of Functional Materials, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou (China); Su, Cheng-Yong [MOE Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, Lehn Institute of Functional Materials, School of Chemistry, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou (China); State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou (China)

    2017-11-13

    Core-shell or striped heteroatomic lanthanide metal-organic framework hierarchical single crystals were obtained by liquid-phase anisotropic epitaxial growth, maintaining identical periodic organization while simultaneously exhibiting spatially segregated structure. Different types of domain and orientation-controlled multicolor photophysical models are presented, which show either visually distinguishable or visible/near infrared (NIR) emissive colors. This provides a new bottom-up strategy toward the design of hierarchical molecular systems, offering high-throughput and multiplexed luminescence color tunability and readability. The unique capability of combining spectroscopic coding with 3D (three-dimensional) microscale spatial coding is established, providing potential applications in anti-counterfeiting, color barcoding, and other types of integrated and miniaturized optoelectronic materials and devices. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  4. NIR to VIS frequency upconversion luminescence properties of Er{sup 3+}-doped YPO{sub 4} phosphors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balakrishnaiah, R. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan 608-737 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dong Woo [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Soung Soo, E-mail: ssyi@silla.ac.k [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sung Hoon [Department of Engineering in Energy and Applied Chemistry, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Kiwan; Lee, Ho Sueb [Department of Physics, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Moon, Byung Kee; Jeong, Jung Hyun [Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan 608-737 (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-09-01

    Different concentrations of Er{sup 3+}-doped YPO{sub 4}:Er powder phosphors have been synthesized by the conventional solid state reaction method and are characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM), and upconversion emission measurements. An intense red emission band and a weak green emission band are observed under NIR excitation at 975 nm in case of samples with high dopant concentration while no upconversion emission was observed at lower Er{sup 3+} ion concentrations. The possible mechanisms involved in the upconversion process have been discussed in comparison to results with similar reported works.

  5. NIR to visible frequency upconversion in Er{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+} codoped ZrO{sub 2} phosphor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Singh, Vijay; Kim, Sang Hwan [Konkuk University, Department of Chemical Engineering, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Rai, Vineet Kumar [Indian School of Mines, Department of Applied Physics, Dhanbad (India); Al-Shamery, Katharina [University of Oldenburg, Physical Chemistry, Institute for Pure and Applied Chemistry and Center of Interface Science, Oldenburg (Germany); Haase, Markus [University of Osnabrueck, Department of Inorganic Chemistry I-Materials Research, Institute of Chemistry, Osnabrueck (Germany)

    2013-11-15

    The ZrO{sub 2}:Er{sup 3+} codoped with Yb{sup 3+} phosphor powders have been prepared by the urea combustion route. Formation of the compounds ZrO{sub 2}:Er{sup 3+} and ZrO{sub 2}:Er{sup 3+}, Yb{sup 3+} was confirmed by XRD. The frequency upconversion emissions in the green and red regions upon excitation with a CW diode laser at {proportional_to}978 nm are reported. Codoping with Yb{sup 3+} enhances the emission intensities of the triply ionized erbium in the green and red spectral regions by about {proportional_to}130 and {proportional_to}820 times respectively. The emission properties of the ZrO{sub 2}:Er{sup 3+} phosphor powders are discussed on the basis of excited state absorption, energy transfer, and cross-relaxation energy transfer mechanisms. (orig.)

  6. Thermal noise in mid-infrared broadband upconversion detectors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barh, Ajanta; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Pedersen, Christian

    2018-01-01

    Low noise detection with state-of-the-art mid-infrared (MIR) detectors (e.g., PbS, PbSe, InSb, HgCdTe) is a primary challenge owing to the intrinsic thermal background radiation of the low bandgap detector material itself. However, researchers have employed frequency upconversion based detectors...... of the noise-equivalent power of an UCD system. In this article, we rigorously analyze the optical power generated by frequency upconversion of the intrinsic black-body radiation in the nonlinear material itself due to the crystals residual emissivity, i.e. absorption. The thermal radiation is particularly...... prominent at the optical absorption edge of the nonlinear material even at room temperature. We consider a conventional periodically poled lithium niobate (PPLN) based MIR-UCD for the investigation. The UCD is designed to cover a broad spectral range, overlapping with the entire absorption edge of the PPLN...

  7. Multifunctional BaYbF{sub 5}: Gd/Er upconversion nanoparticles for in vivo tri-modal upconversion optical, X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Xiaolong; Yi, Zhigao; Xue, Zhenluan; Zeng, Songjun, E-mail: songjunz@hunnu.edu.cn; Liu, Hongrong, E-mail: hrliu@hunnu.edu.cn

    2017-06-01

    Development of high-quality upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with combination of the merits of multiple molecular imaging techniques, such as, upconversion luminescence (UCL) imaging, X-ray computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, could significantly improve the accuracy of biological diagnosis. In this work, multifunctional BaYbF{sub 5}: Gd/Er (50:2 mol%) UCNPs were synthesized via a solvothermal method using oleic acid (OA) as surface ligands (denoted as OA-UCNPs). The OA-UCNPs were further treated by diluted HCl to form ligand-free UCNPs (LF-UCNPs) for later bioimaging applications. The cytotoxicity assay in HeLa cells shows low cell toxicity of these LF-UCNPs. Owing to the efficient UCL of BaYbF{sub 5}: Gd/Er, the LF-UCNPs were successfully used as luminescent bioprobe in UCL bioimaging. And, X-ray CT imaging reveals that BaYbF{sub 5}: Gd/Er UCNPs can act as potential contrast agents for detection of the liver and spleen in the live mice owing to the high-Z elements (e.g., Ba, Yb, and Gd) in host matrix. Moreover, with the addition of Gd, the as-designed UCNPs exhibit additional positive contrast enhancement in T{sub 1}-weighted MR imaging. These findings demonstrate that BaYbF{sub 5}: Gd/Er UCNPs are potential candidates for tri-modal imaging. - Graphical abstract: Multifunctional BaYbF{sub 5}: Gd/Er upconversion nanoparticles with efficient upconversion emission, high absorption coefficient, predominant paramagnetic behavior, and low biological toxicity were demonstrated for tri-modality in vivo UCL, CT and MR imaging. Display Omitted - Highlights: • The multifunctional UCNPs with high monodispersity were synthesized. • The UCNPs present large r{sub 1} value and binary CT contrast agents. • These UCNPs were demonstrated as optimal probes for tri-modal bioimaging.

  8. Upconversion of ion-sound to Langmuir turbulence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vlahos, L.; Papadopoulos, K.

    1979-01-01

    It is shown that upconversion of ion sound to Langmuir waves is impossible in a plasma with upsilon/sub d/< upsilon/sub e/. Previous conclusions to the opposite were in error, owing to neglect of the reverse process (i.e., reabsorbtion of Langmuir waves), which always dominates for upsilon/sub d/< upsilon/sub e/

  9. Infrared upconversion hyperspectral imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kehlet, Louis Martinus; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin

    2015-01-01

    In this Letter, hyperspectral imaging in the mid-IR spectral region is demonstrated based on nonlinear frequency upconversion and subsequent imaging using a standard Si-based CCD camera. A series of upconverted images are acquired with different phase match conditions for the nonlinear frequency...... conversion process. From this, a sequence of monochromatic images in the 3.2-3.4 mu m range is generated. The imaged object consists of a standard United States Air Force resolution target combined with a polystyrene film, resulting in the presence of both spatial and spectral information in the infrared...... image. (C) 2015 Optical Society of America...

  10. A modified energy transfer model for determination of upconversion emission of β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er: Role of self-quenching effect

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhu, Hongyuan [The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Lin, Min, E-mail: minlin@mail.xjtu.edu.cn [The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Jin, Guorui [The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Lu, Tian Jian [Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Xu, Feng [The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China)

    2017-05-15

    A modified energy transfer model by incorporating self-quenching effect is introduced to determine upconversion emission of β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er. The simulation results agree well with existing experimental results, demonstrating the critical role of self-quenching effect in upconversion emission. Our results confirm that a 4.4-fold increase of green upconversion and 86-fold increase in the intensity of red upconversion emission could be realized by suppressing self-quenching. In addition, the optimal doping concentrations for integral emission intensity are found to be independent of excitation power, while the green to red ratio is found to rely significantly on excitation power. Our model offers mechanistic insight into upconversion emission processes and provides inspirations in improving upconversion emission efficiency through optimization of energy transfer pathways in different types of matrix sub-lattice.

  11. Enhancing upconversion emission of Er, Yb co-doped highly transparent YF3 films by synergistic tuning nano-textured morphology and crystallinity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Qu, Ming-Hao; Wang, Ru-Zhi; Chen, Yan; Zhang, Ying; Li, Kai-Yu; Zhou, Hua; Yan, Hui

    2014-01-01

    Highly transparent Er, Yb codoped YF 3 upconversion films were successfully prepared by electron beam deposition method. The effects of the substrate temperature on the morphology, crystallinity and emission characteristics of Er, Yb codoped YF 3 films were studied carefully. It was found that the morphology and crystallinity varied from smooth amorphous to root-intertwined polycrystalline structure with the substrate temperature increase. Besides, the emission characteristics of the films can be modulated by the synergy of their surface morphologies and crystallinities. Remarkably, a large enhancement of the upconversion emission, up to five decades while only an insignificant decrease of the optical transmittance (10% at most), was achieved by forming root-intertwined polycrystalline structures. These highly transparent upconversion films may have good potential for enhancing the conversion efficiency of wide band-gap solar cells. -- Highlights: • Er, Yb co-dopedYF 3 upconversion films have been successfully prepared. • The upconversion property can be modulated by morphology and crystallinity. • The upconversion transparent YF 3 films are promising for solar cells applications

  12. Infrared hyperspectral upconversion imaging using spatial object translation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kehlet, Louis Martinus; Sanders, Nicolai Højer; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2015-01-01

    In this paper hyperspectral imaging in the mid-infrared wavelength region is realised using nonlinear frequency upconversion. The infrared light is converted to the near-infrared region for detection with a Si-based CCD camera. The object is translated in a predefined grid by motorized actuators...

  13. Study of upconversion fluorescence property of novel Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Tie-Feng; Li, Guang-Po; Nie, Qiu-Hua; Shen, Xiang

    2006-06-01

    Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped TeO2-B2O3-Nb2O5-ZnO (TBN) glasses were prepared. The absorption spectra and upconversion luminescence spectra of TBN glasses were measured and analyzed. The upconversion emission bands centered at 530, 546 and 658 nm were observed under the excitation at 975 nm, corresponding to the transitions of 2H11/2-->4I15/2, 4S3/2-->4I15/2 and 4F9/2-->4I15/2 respectively. The ratio of red emission to green emission increases with an increasing of Yb3+ ions concentration. According to the quadratic dependence on excitation power, the possible upconversion mechanisms and processes were discussed.

  14. Enhancing multiphoton upconversion through energy clustering at sublattice level

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Juan; Deng, Renren; Macdonald, Mark A B; Chen, Bolei; Yuan, Jikang; Wang, Feng; Chi, Dongzhi; Hor, Andy Sum Andy; Zhang, Peng; Liu, Guokui; Han, Yu; Liu, Xiaogang

    2013-01-01

    (calculated as 98 mol%). This allows us to generate an unusual four-photon-promoted violet upconversion emission from Er 3+ with an intensity that is more than eight times higher than previously reported. Our results highlight that the approach to enhancing

  15. Atherosclerotic plaque composition: analysis with multicolor CT and targeted gold nanoparticles

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Cormode, David P.; Roessl, Ewald; Thran, Axel; Skajaa, Torjus; Gordon, Ronald E.; Schlomka, Jens-Peter; Fuster, Valentin; Fisher, Edward A.; Mulder, Willem J. M.; Proksa, Roland; Fayad, Zahi A.

    2010-01-01

    To investigate the potential of spectral computed tomography (CT) (popularly referred to as multicolor CT), used in combination with a gold high-density lipoprotein nanoparticle contrast agent (Au-HDL), for characterization of macrophage burden, calcification, and stenosis of atherosclerotic

  16. Optimizing the Activation of Chlorin e6 Utilizing Upconversion Energy Transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avalos, Julio C.; Pedraza, Francisco J.; Sardar, Dhiraj K.

    2015-03-01

    Current cancer therapy techniques, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, possess several drawbacks including lack of selectivity resulting in harmful side effects. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is one of the fastest emerging techniques due to its many advantages, including the use of nonionizing radiation, targeted delivery, and controlled doses. In PDT, photosensitizers (PSs) are activated inside targeted cells to produce irreversible damage inducing cell death. Since most PSs operate in the visible range, it is difficult to activate them due to the high attenuation of soft tissue. Upconverting nanoparticles (UCNP) are able to absorb in the NIR region, where light is less attenuated, and emit in the visible range, resulting in deeper tissue penetration. UCNPs are able to assist with the activation of the PS by energy transfer when the PS is conjugated onto the UCNP. Chlorin e6 (Ce6) is a commonly used PSs due to its ability to release reactive oxygen species (ROS), which is one of the main processes utilized in PDT. The UCNP studied contain a combination of rare earth doped ions including Erbium, Thulium, and Holmium precisely doped into the host nanocrystal to improve upconversion emission and energy transfer. The work presented will focus on exploring the factors that affect the activation of Ce6. The results will include the enhancement of Ce6 activation and ROS release when conjugated onto a rare earth-doped UCNP. This research was funded by NSF-PREM Grant No. DMR -0934218 and RISE Grant No. GM 060655.

  17. An On-Site Simultaneous Semi-Quantification of Aflatoxin B1, Zearalenone, and T-2 Toxin in Maize- and Cereal-Based Feed via Multicolor Immunochromatographic Assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lin Xu

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Multiple-mycotoxin contamination has been frequently found in the agro-food monitoring due to the coexistence of fungi. However, many determination methods focused on a single mycotoxin, highlighting the demand for on-site determination of multiple mycotoxins in a single run. We develop a multicolor-based immunochromatographic strip (ICS for simultaneous determination of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1, zearalenone (ZEN and T-2 toxin in maize- and cereal-based animal feeds. The nanoparticles with different colors are conjugated with three monoclonal antibodies, which serve as the immunoassay probes. The decrease in color intensity is observed by the naked eyes, providing simultaneous quantification of three mycotoxins. The visible limits of detection for AFB1, ZEN and T-2 are estimated to be 0.5, 2, and 30 ng/mL, respectively. The cut-off values are 1, 10, and 50 ng/mL, respectively. Considerable specificity and stability are found using real samples. The results are in excellent agreement with those from high-performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. The multi-color ICS boasts sensitive and rapid visual differentiation and simultaneous semi-quantification of aflatoxin B1, zearalenone and T-2 toxin in maize- and cereal-based feed samples within 20 min.

  18. An estimate of spherical impactor energy transfer for mechanical frequency up-conversion energy harvester

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. R. Corr

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Vibration energy harvesters, which use the impact mechanical frequency up-conversion technique, utilize an impactor, which gains kinetic energy from low frequency ambient environmental vibrations, to excite high frequency systems that efficiently convert mechanical energy to electrical energy. To take full advantage of the impact mechanical frequency up-conversion technique, it is prudent to understand the energy transfer from the low frequency excitations, to the impactor, and finally to the high frequency systems. In this work, the energy transfer from a spherical impactor to a multi degree of freedom spring / mass system, due to Hertzian impact, is investigated to gain insight on how best to design impact mechanical frequency up-conversion energy harvesters. Through this academic work, it is shown that the properties of the contact (or impact area, i.e., radius of curvature and material properties, only play a minor role in energy transfer and that the equivalent mass of the target system (i.e., the spring / mass system dictates the total amount of energy transferred during the impact. The novel approach of utilizing the well-known Hertzian impact methodology to gain an understanding of impact mechanical frequency up-conversion energy harvesters has made it clear that the impactor and the high frequency energy generating systems must be designed together as one system to ensure maximum energy transfer, leading to efficient ambient vibration energy harvesters.

  19. Phosphorus and Cu2+ removal by periphytic biofilm stimulated by upconversion phosphors doped with Pr3+-Li.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yan; Zhang, Jianhong; Zhu, Ningyuan; Tang, Jun; Liu, Junzhuo; Sun, Pengfei; Wu, Yonghong; Wong, Po Keung

    2018-01-01

    Upconversion phosphors (UCPs) can convert visible light into luminescence, such as UV, which can regulate the growth of microbes. Based on these fundamentals, the community composition of periphytic biofilms stimulated by UCPs doped with Pr 3+ -Li + was proposed to augment the removal of phosphorus (P) and copper (Cu). Results showed that the biofilms with community composition optimized by UCPs doped with Pr 3+ -Li + had high P and Cu 2+ removal rates. This was partly due to overall bacterial and algal abundance and biomass increases. The synergistic actions of algal, bacterial biomass and carbon metabolic capacity in the Pr-Li stimulated biofilms facilitated the removal of P and Cu 2+ . The results show that the stimulation of periphytic biofilms by lanthanide-doped UCPs is a promising approach for augmenting P and Cu 2+ removal. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Multi-Color QWIP FPAs for Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Instruments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soibel, Alexander; Luong, Ed; Mumolo, Jason M.; Liu, John; Rafol, Sir B.; Keo, Sam A.; Johnson, William; Willson, Dan; Hill, Cory J.; Ting, David Z.-Y.; hide

    2012-01-01

    Infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs) covering broad mid- and long-IR spectral ranges are the central parts of the spectroscopic and imaging instruments in several Earth and planetary science missions. To be implemented in the space instrument these FPAs need to be large-format, uniform, reproducible, low-cost, low 1/f noise, and radiation hard. Quantum Well Infrared Photodetectors (QWIPs), which possess all needed characteristics, have a great potential for implementation in the space instruments. However a standard QWIP has only a relatively narrow spectral coverage. A multi-color QWIP, which is compromised of two or more detector stacks, can to be used to cover the broad spectral range of interest. We will discuss our recent work on development of multi-color QWIP for Hyperspectral Thermal Emission Spectrometer instruments. We developed QWIP compromising of two stacks centered at 9 and 10.5 ?m, and featuring 9 grating regions optimized to maximize the responsivity in the individual subbands across the 7.5-12 ?m spectral range. The demonstrated 1024x1024 QWIP FPA exhibited excellent performance with operability exceeding 99% and noise equivalent differential temperature of less than 15 mK across the entire 7.5-12 ?m spectral range.

  1. Synthesis and characterization of new bifunctional nanocomposites possessing upconversion and oxygen-sensing properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Lina; Li Bin; Qin Ruifei; Zhao Haifeng; Ren Xinguang; Su Zhongmin

    2010-01-01

    A new type of bifunctional nanocomposites for biomedical applications, upconversion NaY F 4 :Y b 3+ , Tm 3+ nanoparticles coated with Ru(II) complex chemically doped SiO 2 , has been developed by combining the useful functions of upconversion and oxygen-sensing properties into one nanoparticle. NaY F 4 :Y b 3+ , Tm 3+ nanoparticles were successfully coated with an Ru(II) complex doped SiO 2 shell with a thickness of ∼ 30 nm, and the surface of the SiO 2 was functionalized with amines. The obtained nanocomposites exhibited bright blue upconversion emission, and the luminescent emission intensity of the Ru(II) complex in the nanocomposites was sensitive to oxygen. Compared with the simple mixture of Ru(II) complex and SiO 2 , the core-shell nanocomposites showed better linearity between emission intensity of Ru(II) complex and oxygen concentrations. These bifunctional nanocomposites may find applications in biochemical and biomedical fields, such as biolabels and optical oxygen sensors, which can measure the oxygen concentrations in biological fluids.

  2. The concentration effect of upconversion luminescence properties in Er3+/Yb3+-codoped Y2(MoO4)3 phosphors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Weili; Cheng Lihong; Sun Jiashi; Zhong Haiyang; Li Xiangping; Tian Yue; Wan Jing; Zheng Yanfeng; Huang Libo; Yu Tingting; Yu Hongquan; Chen Baojiu

    2010-01-01

    Y 2 (MoO 4 ) 3 :Er 3+ /Yb 3+ phosphors with fixed (varied) Er 3+ and varied (fixed) Yb 3+ concentrations were synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction. The crystal structure of the phosphors was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD). Upon 980 nm excitation, very weak blue emission, and strong green and red upconversion emissions centered at 485, 525, 545 and 656 nm were observed. The two-photon process was confirmed to be responsible for both the green and red upconversion emissions. The effects of green upconversion emission intensity ratio ( 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 versus 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 ) and the integrated upconversion emission intensity on the Yb 3+ and Er 3+ concentrations were studied.

  3. Non-collinear upconversion of infrared light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian; Hu, Qi; Høgstedt, Lasse

    2014-01-01

    Two dimensional mid-infrared upconversion imaging provides unique spectral and spatial information showing good potential for mid- infrared spectroscopy and hyperspectral imaging. However, to extract spectral or spatial information from the upconverted images an elaborate model is needed, which...... includes non-collinear interaction. We derive here a general theory providing the far field of the upconverted light when two arbitrary fields interact inside a non linear crystal. Theoretical predictions are experimentally verified for incoherent radiation and subsequently applied to previously published...

  4. Enhancement of the up-conversion luminescence from NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+},Tb{sup 3+}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hölsä, Jorma, E-mail: jholsa@utu.fi [University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Turku University Centre for Materials and Surfaces (MatSurf), Turku (Finland); Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Química, São Paulo-SP (Brazil); Laihinen, Tero [University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Laamanen, Taneli; Lastusaari, Mika [University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Turku University Centre for Materials and Surfaces (MatSurf), Turku (Finland); Pihlgren, Laura [University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Graduate School of Materials Research (GSMR), Turku (Finland); Rodrigues, Lucas C.V. [University of Turku, Department of Chemistry, FI-20014 Turku (Finland); Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Química, São Paulo-SP (Brazil); Soukka, Tero [University of Turku, Department of Biochemistry, FI-20014 Turku (Finland)

    2014-04-15

    The synthesis conditions of the Yb{sup 3+} and Tb{sup 3+} co-doped NaYF{sub 4} were optimized by reducing the number of washings to include only ethanol. The avoidance of the loss of amorphous NaF prior to post-annealing of the as-prepared materials resulted in the enhancement of the otherwise rather weak up-conversion from Tb{sup 3+} by 1–2 orders of magnitude. At the same time, the temperature of formation of the hexagonal NaRF{sub 4} phase with high up-conversion could be lowered by 100 °C down to 350 °C. This improvement in up-conversion was concluded to result from the better stoichiometry of the material without washing with water. The deficit of Na{sup +} would result in the excess of fluoride which, although not as fatal to the luminescence as the fluoride vacancies, has serious implications to the up-conversion intensity. A further enhancement in the up-conversion luminescence was observed to be due to the Er{sup 3+} ion impurity frequently associated with high-concentration Yb{sup 3+} materials. The mechanism involving the unintentional Er{sup 3+} sensitizer and the resonance energy transfer in the Yb{sup 3+}–Er{sup 3+}–Tb{sup 3+} co-doped NaYF{sub 4} were discussed based on the energy level schemes of the Yb{sup 3+}, Er{sup 3+}, and Tb{sup 3+} ions in NaYF{sub 4}.

  5. Mathematical conversations multicolor problems, problems in the theory of numbers, and random walks

    CERN Document Server

    Dynkin, E B

    2006-01-01

    Comprises Multicolor Problems, dealing with map-coloring problems; Problems in the Theory of Numbers, an elementary introduction to algebraic number theory; Random Walks, addressing basic problems in probability theory. 1963 edition.

  6. Scalable Direct Writing of Lanthanide-Doped KMnF3 Perovskite Nanowires into Aligned Arrays with Polarized Up-Conversion Emission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Shuo; Sun, Ling-Dong; Xue, Ying-Xian; Dong, Hao; Wu, Ke; Guo, Shi-Chen; Wu, Bo-Tao; Yan, Chun-Hua

    2018-05-09

    The use of one-dimensional nano- and microstructured semiconductor and lanthanide materials is attractive for polarized-light-emission studies. Up-conversion emission from single-nanorod or anisotropic nanoparticles with a degree of polarization has also been discussed. However, microscale arrays of nanoparticles, especially well-aligned one-dimensional nanostructures as well as their up-conversion polarization characterization, have not been investigated yet. Herein, we present a novel and facile paradigm for preparing highly aligned arrays of lanthanide-doped KMnF 3 (KMnF 3 :Ln) perovskite nanowires, which are good candidates for polarized up-conversion emission studies. These perovskite nanowires, with a width of 10 nm and length of a few micrometers, are formed through the oriented attachment of KMnF 3 :Ln nanocubes along the [001] direction. By the employment of KMnF 3 :Ln nanowire gel as nanoink, a direct-writing method is developed to obtain diverse types of aligned patterns from the nanoscale to the wafer scale. Up-conversion emissions from the highly aligned nanowire arrays are polarized along the array direction with a polarization degree up to 60%. Taking advantage of microscopic nanowire arrays, these polarized up-conversion emissions should offer potential applications in light or information transportation.

  7. Infrared detection and photon energy up-conversion in graphene layer infrared photodetectors integrated with LEDs based on van der Waals heterostructures: Concept, device model, and characteristics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ryzhii, V.; Otsuji, T.; Ryzhii, M.; Karasik, V. E.; Shur, M. S.

    2017-09-01

    We propose the concept of the infrared detection and photon energy up-conversion in the devices using the integration of the graphene layer infrared detectors (GLIPs) and the light emitting diodes (LEDs) based on van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures. Using the developed device model of the GLIP-LEDs, we calculate their characteristics. The GLIP-LED devices can operate as the detectors of far- and mid infrared radiation (FIR and MIR) with an electrical output or with near-infrared radiation (NIR) or visible radiation (VIR) output. In the latter case, GLIP-LED devices function as the photon energy up-converters of FIR and MIR to NIR or VIR. The operation of GLIP-LED devices is associated with the injection of the electron photocurrent produced due to the interband absorption of the FIR/MIR photons in the GLIP part into the LED emitting NIR/VIR photons. We calculate the GLIP-LED responsivity and up-conversion efficiency as functions the structure parameters and the energies of the incident FIR/MIR photons and the output NIR/VIR photons. The advantages of the GLs in the vdW heterostructures (relatively high photoexcitation rate from and low capture efficiency into GLs) combined with the reabsorption of a fraction of the NIR/FIR photon flux in the GLIP (which can enable an effective photonic feedback) result in the elevated GLIP-LED device responsivity and up-conversion efficiency. The positive optical feedback from the LED section of the device lead to increasing current injection enabling the appearance of the S-type current-voltage characteristic with a greatly enhanced responsivity near the switching point and current filamentation.

  8. Subdiffraction Multicolor Imaging of the Nuclear Periphery with 3D Structured Illumination Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schermelleh, Lothar; Carlton, Peter M.; Haase, Sebastian; Shao, Lin; Winoto, Lukman; Kner, Peter; Burke, Brian; Cardoso, M. Cristina; Agard, David A.; Gustafsson, Mats G. L.; Leonhardt, Heinrich; Sedat, John W.

    2010-01-01

    Fluorescence light microscopy allows multicolor visualization of cellular components with high specificity, but its utility has until recently been constrained by the intrinsic limit of spatial resolution. We applied three-dimensional structured illumination microscopy (3D-SIM) to circumvent this limit and to study the mammalian nucleus. By simultaneously imaging chromatin, nuclear lamina, and the nuclear pore complex (NPC), we observed several features that escape detection by conventional microscopy. We could resolve single NPCs that colocalized with channels in the lamin network and peripheral heterochromatin. We could differentially localize distinct NPC components and detect double-layered invaginations of the nuclear envelope in prophase as previously seen only by electron microscopy. Multicolor 3D-SIM opens new and facile possibilities to analyze subcellular structures beyond the diffraction limit of the emitted light. PMID:18535242

  9. A multicolor panel of TALE-KRAB based transcriptional repressor vectors enabling knockdown of multiple gene targets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhonghui; Wu, Elise; Qian, Zhijian; Wu, Wen-Shu

    2014-12-05

    Stable and efficient knockdown of multiple gene targets is highly desirable for dissection of molecular pathways. Because it allows sequence-specific DNA binding, transcription activator-like effector (TALE) offers a new genetic perturbation technique that allows for gene-specific repression. Here, we constructed a multicolor lentiviral TALE-Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) expression vector platform that enables knockdown of multiple gene targets. This platform is fully compatible with the Golden Gate TALEN and TAL Effector Kit 2.0, a widely used and efficient method for TALE assembly. We showed that this multicolor TALE-KRAB vector system when combined together with bone marrow transplantation could quickly knock down c-kit and PU.1 genes in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells of recipient mice. Furthermore, our data demonstrated that this platform simultaneously knocked down both c-Kit and PU.1 genes in the same primary cell populations. Together, our results suggest that this multicolor TALE-KRAB vector platform is a promising and versatile tool for knockdown of multiple gene targets and could greatly facilitate dissection of molecular pathways.

  10. Enhanced 2D-image upconversion using solid-state lasers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Christian; Karamehmedovic, Emir; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin

    2009-01-01

    the image inside a nonlinear PPKTP crystal located in the high intra-cavity field of a 1342 nm solid-state Nd:YVO4 laser, an upconverted image at 488 nm is generated. We have experimentally achieved an upconversion efficiency of 40% under CW conditions. The proposed technique can be further adapted for high...

  11. Simultaneous phase and size control of upconversion nanocrystals through lanthanide doping

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Feng; Han, Yu; Lim, Chinseong; Lu, Yunhao; Wang, Juan; Xu, Jun; Chen, Hongyu; Zhang, Chun; Hong, Minghui; Liu, Xiaogang

    2010-01-01

    or hexagonal) and upconversion emission colour (green to blue) through use of trivalent lanthanide dopant ions introduced at precisely defined concentrations. We use first-principles calculations to confirm that the influence of lanthanide doping on crystal

  12. Upconversion channels in Er3+ ZBLALiP fluoride glass microspheres

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    O'Shea, D. G.; Ward, J. M.; Shortt, B. J.; Mortier, M.; Feron, P.; Chormaic, S. Nic

    We present results on the realization of a multicolour microspherical glass light source fabricated from the erbium doped fluoride glass ZBLALiP. Whispering gallery mode lasing and upconversion processes give rise to laser and fluorescent emissions at multiple wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the

  13. Bright white upconversion luminescence from Er3+/Tm3+/Yb3+-doped titanate-based glasses prepared by aerodynamic levitation method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Minghui; Yu, Jianding; Jiang, Wan; Liu, Yan; Ai, Fei; Wen, Haiqin; Jiang, Meng; Yu, Huimei; Pan, Xiuhong; Tang, Meibo; Gai, Lijun

    2017-10-01

    Aerodynamic levitation method was employed to prepare Er3+/Tm3+/Yb3+-doped titanate-based glasses. DTA results show that the glass performs high thermal stability with the glass transition temperature of 799 °C. The interaction among rare earth ions has been discussed by adjusting the relative concentration. Er3+ ions can quench the upconversion luminescence of Tm3+ ions. Tm3+ ions play a strong role in quenching the emissions of Er3+ and Tm3+ when the content of Tm3+ ions is greater than or equal 0.05. From the view of the ratio of red emission to green emission, Tm3+ ions can improve the red emission of Er3+ ions to some extent in contrast with the green emissions of Er3+ ions. 980 nm incident laser can be efficiently absorbed by Yb3+ ions. The relative intensity of red, green, and blue upconversion luminescence has been tuned to obtain white light. The composition with white upconversion luminescence of the color coordinate (0.291, 0.3292) has been found. Moreover, white upconversion luminescence mechanism is a two-photon process of ET, ESA, and cooperative sensitization. Rare earth ions doped titanate-based glasses with bright upconversion luminescence perform potential applications in color display, back light, et al.

  14. Upconverting fluorescent nanoparticles for biodetection and photoactivation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Kai; Li, WenKai; Jayakumar, Muthu Kumara Gnanasammandhan; Zhang, Yong

    2013-03-01

    Fluorophores including fluorescent dyes/proteins and quantum dots (QDs) are used for fluorescence-based imaging and detection. These are based on `downconversion fluorescence' and have several drawbacks: photobleaching, autofluorescence, short tissue penetration depth and tissue photo-damage. Upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles (UCNs) emit detectable photons of higher energy in the short wavelength range upon irradiation with near-infrared (NIR) light based on a process termed `upconversion'. UCNs show absolute photostability, negligible autofluorescence, high penetration depth and minimum photodamage to biological tissues. Lanthanide doped nanocrystals with nearinfrared NIR-to-NIR and/or NIR-to-VIS and/or NIR-to-UV upconversion fluorescence emission have been synthesized. The nanocrystals with small size and tunable multi-color emission have been developed. The emission can be tuned by doping different upconverting lanthanide ions into the nanocrystals. The nanocrystals with core-shell structure have also been prepared to tune the emission color. The surfaces of these nanocrystals have been modified to render them water dispersible and biocompatible. They can be used for ultrasensitive interference-free biodetection because most biomolecules do not have upconversion properties. UCNs are also useful for light based therapy with enhanced efficiency, for example, photoactivation.

  15. Multi-color imaging of fluorescent nanodiamonds in living HeLa cells using direct electron-beam excitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nawa, Yasunori; Inami, Wataru; Lin, Sheng; Kawata, Yoshimasa; Terakawa, Susumu; Fang, Chia-Yi; Chang, Huan-Cheng

    2014-03-17

    Multi-color, high spatial resolution imaging of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FNDs) in living HeLa cells has been performed with a direct electron-beam excitation-assisted fluorescence (D-EXA) microscope. In this technique, fluorescent materials are directly excited with a focused electron beam and the resulting cathodoluminescence (CL) is detected with nanoscale resolution. Green- and red-light-emitting FNDs were employed for two-color imaging, which were observed simultaneously in the cells with high spatial resolution. This technique could be applied generally for multi-color immunostaining to reveal various cell functions. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Upconversion luminescent logic gates and turn-on sensing of glutathione based on two-photon excited quantum dots conjugated with dopamine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gui, Rijun; Jin, Hui; Liu, Xifeng; Wang, Zonghua; Zhang, Feifei; Xia, Jianfei; Yang, Min; Bi, Sai

    2014-12-07

    Under the two-photon excitation, upconversion luminescent "INHIBIT" and "OR" logic gates of water-dispersed CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were constituted by conjugating the QDs with dopamine. This facilitated the development of a novel QDs-based upconversion luminescent probe for efficient turn-on sensing of glutathione.

  17. Multi-color incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient methods for vector computers. Ph.D. Thesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poole, E. L.

    1986-01-01

    In this research, we are concerned with the solution on vector computers of linear systems of equations, Ax = b, where A is a larger, sparse symmetric positive definite matrix. We solve the system using an iterative method, the incomplete Cholesky conjugate gradient method (ICCG). We apply a multi-color strategy to obtain p-color matrices for which a block-oriented ICCG method is implemented on the CYBER 205. (A p-colored matrix is a matrix which can be partitioned into a pXp block matrix where the diagonal blocks are diagonal matrices). This algorithm, which is based on a no-fill strategy, achieves O(N/p) length vector operations in both the decomposition of A and in the forward and back solves necessary at each iteration of the method. We discuss the natural ordering of the unknowns as an ordering that minimizes the number of diagonals in the matrix and define multi-color orderings in terms of disjoint sets of the unknowns. We give necessary and sufficient conditions to determine which multi-color orderings of the unknowns correpond to p-color matrices. A performance model is given which is used both to predict execution time for ICCG methods and also to compare an ICCG method to conjugate gradient without preconditioning or another ICCG method. Results are given from runs on the CYBER 205 at NASA's Langley Research Center for four model problems.

  18. New Sr{sub 1−x−z}R{sub x}(NH{sub 4}){sub z}F{sub 2+x−z} (R = Yb, Er) solid solution as precursor for high efficiency up-conversion luminophor and optical ceramics on the base of strontium fluoride

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rozhnova, Yu. A. [N.E. Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow (Russian Federation); A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation); Kuznetsov, S.V. [A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation); Luginina, A.A. [All-Russian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (VINITI), Moscow (Russian Federation); Voronov, V.V.; Ryabova, A.V.; Pominova, D.V.; Ermakov, R.P. [A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation); Usachev, V.A.; Kononenko, N.E. [N.E. Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow (Russian Federation); Baranchikov, A.E.; Ivanov, V.K. [N.S. Kurnakov Institute of General and Inorganic Chemistry, RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation); Fedorov, P.P., E-mail: ppfedorov@yandex.ru [A.M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute, RAS, Moscow (Russian Federation)

    2016-04-01

    In this paper, we describe the use of self-fluorinating conditions for the thermal treatment of Sr{sub 1−x−y−z}Yb{sub x}Er{sub y}(NH{sub 4}){sub z}F{sub 2+x+y−z} precursor for the preparation of high-efficiency SrF{sub 2}:Yb:Er up-converter powders. We report actual SrF{sub 2}:Yb:Er compositions with up-conversion efficiencies exceeding 4% (pumping power 1 W/cm{sup 2} at 974 nm wavelength) and describe the synthesis of ceramics with higher than 80% transmittance at 0.42–7.0 μm. The latter ceramics can be used as a potential IR radiation visualizer. For the first time, we present an analysis of correlation between up-conversion luminescence energy yield and specimen composition for SrF{sub 2}:Yb:Er nanopowders. Taking into account the observed erbium ion up-conversion luminescence in the red part of the visible spectrum, we recommend certain SrF{sub 2}:Yb:Er compositions for practical application in photodynamic cancer therapy. - Highlights: • SrF{sub 2}:Yb/Er luminophor nanopowders were precipitated from aqueous solutions. • Precipitation of Sr{sub 1−x−y−z}Yb{sub x}Er{sub y}(NH{sub 4}){sub z}F{sub 2+x+y−z} solid solution has been proved. • Up-conversion luminescence energy yield luminophors of more than 4% were obtained. • Optical ceramics with 80% transmittance in 0.42–7.0 μm range was synthesized.

  19. [A study on the concentration quenching of Tm3+ upconversion luminescence].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, B; Wang, H; Huang, S

    2001-06-01

    In this work, we have a designation and preparation of MFT glasses for upconversion, the glasses consisted of TeO2 and fluoride: PbF2, AlF3, BaF2, NaF and the impurity Tm2O3. In this glass system the oxide improve forming ability, the fluorides improve the microscopic environment around RE ions in glasses. In this glass host the content of Tm2O3 achieves to 4% mol and crystallization no occurred. A detail study on the concentration quenching of upconversion luminescence for 1G4-->3H6 and 1D2-->3H4 transitions was completed. The experimental results directed that the quenching concentration was 0.6 mol.% and higher 3 times than in other glasses materials. The cross relaxation and mechanism of concentration quenching were discussed.

  20. Multi-channel up-conversion infrared spectrometer and method of detecting a spectral distribution of light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2015-01-01

    A multi-channel infrared spectrometer for detecting an infrared spectrum of light received from an object. The spectrometer comprises a wavelength converter system comprising a nonlinear material and having an input side and an output side. The wavelength converter system comprises at least a first...... on the first side into light in a second output wavelength range output on the second side. The spectrometer further comprises a demultiplexer configured for demultiplexing light in the first up-conversion channel and light in the second up-conversion channel. The demultiplexer is located on the first side...

  1. NIR photoregulated chemo- and photodynamic cancer therapy based on conjugated polyelectrolyte-drug conjugate encapsulated upconversion nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yuan, Youyong; Min, Yuanzeng; Hu, Qinglian; Xing, Bengang; Liu, Bin

    2014-09-01

    The design of nanoplatforms with target recognition and near-infrared (NIR) laser photoregulated chemo- and photodynamic therapy is highly desirable but remains challenging. In this work, we have developed such a system by taking advantage of a conjugated polyelectrolyte (CPE)-drug conjugate and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs). The poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafted CPE not only serves as a polymer matrix for UCNP encapsulation, but also as a fluorescent imaging agent, a photosensitizer as well as a carrier for chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin (DOX) through a UV-cleavable ortho-nitrobenzyl (NB) linker. Upon 980 nm laser irradiation, the UCNPs emit UV and visible light. The up-converted UV light is utilized for controlled drug release through the photocleavage of the ortho-nitrobenzyl linker, while the up-converted visible light is used to initiate the polymer photosensitizer to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) for photodynamic therapy. The NIR photo-regulated UCNP@CPE-DOX showed high efficiency of ROS generation and controlled drug release in cancer cells upon single laser irradiation. In addition, the combination therapy showed enhanced inhibition of U87-MG cell growth as compared to sole treatments. As two light sources with different wavelengths are always needed for traditional photodynamic therapy and photoregulated drug release, the adoption of UCNPs as an NIR light switch is highly beneficial to combined chemo- and photodynamic therapy with enhanced therapeutic effects.

  2. Tuning crystal field symmetry of hexagonal NaY0.92Yb0.05Er0.03F4 by Ti4+ codoping for high-performance upconversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, Han; Huang, Qingming; Ma, En; Zhang, Xinqi; Yu, Jianchang

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Upconversion emission of Er 3+ was obviously enhanced by Ti 4+ codoped in NaYF 4 . • The upconversion luminescence lifetime was also obviously prolonged. • Na + could be induced to occupy Y 3+ sites if Ti 4+ was codoped with appropriate concentration. • The crystal field asymmetry was enhanced for better upconversion performance. • Crystal growth was prevented and small-sized NaYF 4 were obtained. - Abstract: 378 nm, 408 nm and 521 nm upconversion emissions of Er 3+ ions were obviously enhanced by Ti 4+ codoped with Yb 3+ /Er 3+ in hexagonal NaYF 4 , and the corresponding upconversion luminescence lifetimes were also prolonged, especially for 378 nm and 408 nm emissions. X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and upconversion emission spectra were employed to explore the relationships of the structure and properties. From these characterizations we made a novel discovery that Na + could be induced to occupy Y 3+ sites for establishing valence balance of the system if Ti 4+ ions were codoped with appropriate concentration. As a result the crystal field asymmetry of NaY 0.92 Yb 0.05 Er 0.03 F 4 was enhanced and then its upconversion properties were improved because the hypersensitive electron transition of Yb 3+ /Er 3+ ions was promoted greatly. At the same time, the crystal sizes of the codoped NaYF 4 became smaller because the crystal growth was prevented by more negative charges gathering at the crystal surface. This study provides an exploration of the relationship among impurity doping, structural changes and upconversion performance, which may be useful for design and synthesis of high-performance upconversion codoping materials

  3. Broadband plasmonic silver nanoflowers for high-performance random lasing covering visible region

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Qing

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Multicolor random lasing has broad potential applications in the fields of imaging, sensing, and optoelectronics. Here, silver nanoflowers (Ag NF with abundant nanogaps are fabricated by a rapid one-step solution-phase synthesis method and are first proposed as effective broadband plasmonic scatterers to achieve different color random lasing. With abundant nanogaps and spiky tips near the surface and the interparticle coupling effect, Ag NFs greatly enhance the local electromagnetic field and induce broadband plasmonic scattering spectra over the whole visible range. The extremely low working threshold and the high-quality factor for Ag NF-based random lasers are thus demonstrated as 0.24 MW cm−2 and 11,851, respectively. Further, coherent colorful random lasing covering the visible range is realized using the dye molecules oxazine (red, Coumarin 440 (blue, and Coumarin 153 (green, showing high-quality factor of more than 10,000. All these features show that Ag NF are highly efficient scatterers for high-performance coherent random lasing and colorful random lasers.

  4. Central limit theorems for a class of irreducible multicolor urn models

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Central limit theorem; Markov chains; martingale; urn models. 1. Introduction. In this article we are going to ... multicolor urn model is vastly different from the Markov chain evolving according to the transition matrix equal to the ...... /2 contribute a random variable less in absolute value than const. { sup n0≤n<∞. ∥. ∥. ∥. ∥.

  5. FREQUENCY OF ANEUPLOID SPERMATOZOA STUDIED BY MULTICOLOR FISH IN SERIAL SEMEN SAMPLES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frequency of aneuploid spermatozoa studied by multicolor FISH in serial semen samplesM. Vozdova1, S. D. Perreault2, O. Rezacova1, D. Zudova1 , Z. Zudova3, S. G. Selevan4, J. Rubes1,51Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic; 2U.S. Environmental Protection A...

  6. Multi-band transmission color filters for multi-color white LEDs based visible light communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qixia; Zhu, Zhendong; Gu, Huarong; Chen, Mengzhu; Tan, Qiaofeng

    2017-11-01

    Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based visible light communication (VLC) can provide license-free bands, high data rates, and high security levels, which is a promising technique that will be extensively applied in future. Multi-band transmission color filters with enough peak transmittance and suitable bandwidth play a pivotal role for boosting signal-noise-ratio in VLC systems. In this paper, multi-band transmission color filters with bandwidth of dozens nanometers are designed by a simple analytical method. Experiment results of one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) tri-band color filters demonstrate the effectiveness of the multi-band transmission color filters and the corresponding analytical method.

  7. Novel GQD-PVP-CdS composite with enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Tao; Li, Yinle; Shen, Jianfeng; Ye, Mingxin

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • GQD-PVP-CdS composite was prepared for the first time through a facile hydrothermal route. • GQD-PVP-CdS demonstrated outstanding photoactivity under visible light illumination. • GQDs and polymeric material are compounded with CdS nanoparticles simultaneously for the first time. • The addition of GQDs plays pivotal roles in the enhancement of the photoactivity. - Abstract: A facile one-step hydrothermal method to synthesize graphene quantum dots (GQDs)-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)-CdS nanocomposite was reported. The nanocomposite was thoroughly characterized with X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy. The results confirmed the formation of GQD-PVP-CdS composite with a uniform size (5–10 nm) and a relatively low band gap (E_g = 2.23 eV). Moreover, the as-prepared composite exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity toward the degradation of organic contaminants, with 92.3% of methyl orange (10 mg/L) removed after 3 hours of visible light illumination. This enhancement in photocatalytic activity was postulated to be attributed to the upconversion property of GQDs and a more efficient charge distribution between GQDs and CdS particles.

  8. Versatile single-molecule multi-color excitation and detection fluorescence setup for studying biomolecular dynamics

    KAUST Repository

    Sobhy, M. A.; Elshenawy, M. M.; Takahashi, Masateru; Whitman, B. H.; Walter, N. G.; Hamdan, S. M.

    2011-01-01

    Single-molecule fluorescence imaging is at the forefront of tools applied to study biomolecular dynamics both in vitro and in vivo. The ability of the single-molecule fluorescence microscope to conduct simultaneous multi-color excitation

  9. Upconversion fluorescence tyrosine doped LaF3:Dy quantum dots useful in biolabeling and biotagging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Amit T.; Khandpekar, M. M.

    2018-04-01

    Water soluble hexahedral colloidal quantum dots (QDOTs) of Tyrosine doped LaF3:Dy have been synthesized by wet chemical route. The nanoparticles have been irradiated by microwave during synthesis for drying and also to reduce agglomeration. The coating of the LaF3:Dy nanoparticles by the amino acid tyrosine results in colloidal quantum dots. XRD studies indicates hexagonal lattice and confirms JCPDS data. The average particle size obtained by XRD and SEM are 22.89nm and 25.5nm respectively. The average sizes of nanorods obtained from TEM are 55 nm. The presence of elements has been verified with EDAX and ICP-AES technique. The SAED pattern of the samples shows sharp concentric rings indicating the crystalline nature of the synthesized nanoparticles. The FTIR spectra have been used to study the surface modification of the nanoparticles. The optical studies have been done using UV-visible and PL spectra. The PL spectra showed upconversion nature of the synthesized nanoparticles with sharp emission at 618 nm. The nanoparticles synthesized have potential application as biomaterials in bio imaging and biotagging.

  10. High resolution mid-infrared spectroscopy based on frequency upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Hu, Qi; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2013-01-01

    signals can be analyzed. The obtainable frequency resolution is usually in the nm range where sub nm resolution is preferred in many applications, like gas spectroscopy. In this work we demonstrate how to obtain sub nm resolution when using upconversion. In the presented realization one object point...... high resolution spectral performance by observing emission from hot water vapor in a butane gas burner....

  11. Upconversion properties of Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped TeO2-TiO2-K2O glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Fangning; Deng, Zaide

    2006-01-01

    The Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped TeO2-TiO2-K2O glasses were prepared by conventional melting procedures, and their upconversion spectra were performed. The dependence of luminescence intensity on the ratio of Yb3+/Er3+ was studied, and the relationship between green upconversion luminescence intensity and Er3+ concentration is discussed in detail. The 546 nm green upconversion luminescence intensity is optimised in the studied glasses either when the Yb3+/Er3+ ratio is 25/1 and Er3+ concentration is 0.1 mol%, or when the Yb3+/Er3+ ratio is 10/1 and Er3+ concentration is 0.15 mol%. These glasses could be one of the potential candidates for LD pumping microchip solid-state lasers.

  12. Performance of Differential-Phase-Shift Keying Protocol Applying 1310 nm Up-Conversion Single-Photon Detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen-Xu, Feng; Rong-Zhen, Jiao; Wen-Han, Zhang

    2008-01-01

    The performance of the differential-phase-shift keying (DPSK) protocol applying a 1310 nm up-conversion single-photon detector is analysed. The error rate and the communication rate as a function of distance for three quantum key distribution protocols, the Bennett–Brassard 1984, the Bennett–Brassard–Mermin 1992, and the DPSK, are presented. Then we compare the performance of these three protocols using the 1310nm up-conversion detector. We draw the conclusion that the DPSK protocol applying the detector has significant advantage over the other two protocols. Longer transmission distance and lower error rate can be achieved. (general)

  13. Laser-diode-excited blue upconversion in Tm3+/Yb3+ -codoped TeO2-Ga2O3-R2O (R=Li, Na, K) glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Chun; Zhang, Qinyuan; Yang, Gangfeng; Jiang, Zhonghong

    2008-01-01

    This paper reports on intense blue upconversion in Tm(3+)/Yb(3+) codoped TeO(2)-Ga(2)O(3)-R(2)O(R=Li, Na, K) glasses upon excitation with commercial available laser diode (LD). Effects of alkali ions on the Raman spectra, thermal stability and spectroscopic properties of the tellurite-gallium glasses have also been investigated. Energy transfer and the involved upconversion mechanisms have been discussed. Intense blue upconversion emission centered at 476 nm along with a weak red emission at 650 nm has been observed upon excitation of 977 nm LD, assigned to the transitions of 1G4-->3H6, and 1G4-->3H4 and/or 3F(2,3)-->3H6 of Tm(3+), respectively. The blue upconversion intensity has a cubelike dependence on incident pump laser power, indicating a three-photon process. However, a quadratic dependence of the 476 nm upconversion intensity on the incident pump laser power has been observed when samples under excitation of 808 nm LD due to a two-photon absorption process. Enhanced upconversion luminescence have been observed with replacing K(+) for Na(+) and Li(+).

  14. Multicolor surface photometry of 17 ellipticals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Franx, M.; Illingworth, G.; Heckman, T.

    1989-01-01

    Multicolor two-dimensional surface photometry was used to obtain radial profiles for surface brightness, color, ellipticity, position angle, and the residuals from the fitted ellipses described by the cos(n phi) and sin(n phi) terms (where n = 3 and 4) for 17 elliptical galaxies. It is found that at radii as large as five times the seeing FWHM, seeing can affect the ellipticity at the 10 percent level and introduce uncertainty in the position angles of several degrees, particularly for very round ellipticals. The present profiles are found to agree well with previous data, with rms differences of 0.02 in ellipticity and 2 deg in position angle. The observed color gradients are consistent with a decrease in the metallicity by a factor of about 2 per decade in radius. 61 refs

  15. Enhancement of red upconversion emission of cubic phase NaLuF{sub 4}: Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+}/Ce{sup 3+} nanocrystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Wei, E-mail: gaowei@xupt.edu.com; Dong, Jun, E-mail: dongjun@xupt.edu.cn; Liu, Jihong; Yan, Xuewen

    2016-08-15

    Highlights: • The upconversion emission of Ho{sup 3+} ions was tuned from green to red. • The upconversion mechanism of Ho{sup 3+} ions was discussed based on emission spectrum. • The conversion efficiency between Ho{sup 3+} and Ce{sup 3+} were studied and calculated. - Abstract: The red upconversion emission of lanthanide-doped fluoride nanocrystals have great potential applications in color display and anticounterfeiting applications, especially for biological imaging and biomedical. In this work, a significant enhancement of red upconversion emission of Ho{sup 3+} ions was successfully obtained in the cubic phase NaLuF{sub 4} nanocrystals through codoping Ce{sup 3+} ions under NIR 980 nm excitation. The ratio of red-to-green emission of Ho{sup 3+} ions was enhanced about 10-fold, which is due to two efficient cross relaxation processes derived from Ho{sup 3+} and Ce{sup 3+} ions promoted the red emission and quenched the green emission. The upconversion emission and luminescent colors of NaLuF{sub 4}: Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+} nanocrystals were carefully investigated by a confocal microscopy setup. The possible upconversion emission mechanism and conversion efficiency of cross relaxation between Ho{sup 3+} and Ce{sup 3+} ions were discussed in detail. The current study suggests that strong red emission of NaLuF{sub 4}: Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+}/Ce{sup 3+} nanomaterials can be used for color display and anticounterfeiting techniques.

  16. Highly efficient upconversion luminescence in hexagonal NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ nanocrystals synthesized by a novel reverse microemulsion method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gunaseelan, M.; Yamini, S.; Kumar, G. A.; Senthilselvan, J.

    2018-01-01

    A new reverse microemulsion system is proposed for the first time to synthesize NaYF4:Yb,Er nanocrystals, which demonstrated high upconversion emission in 550 and 662 nm at 980 nm diode laser excitation. The reverse microemulsion (μEs) system is comprised of CTAB and oleic acid as surfactant and 1-butanol co-surfactant and isooctane oil phase. The surfactant to water ratio is able to tune the microemulsion droplet size from 14 to 220 nm, which eventually controls the crystallinity and particulate morphology of NaYF4:Yb,Er. Also, the microemulsion precursor and calcination temperature plays certain role in transforming the cubic NaYF4:Yb,Er to highly luminescent hexagonal crystal structured upconversion material. Single phase hexagonal NaYF4:YbEr nanorod prepared by water-in-oil reverse microemulsion (μEs) gives intense red upconversion emission. Both nanosphere and nanorod shaped NaYF4:Yb,Er was obtained, but nanorod morphology resulted an enhanced upconversion luminescence. The structural, morphological, thermal and optical luminescence properties of the NaYF4:Yb,Er nanoparticles are discussed in detail by employing powder X-ray diffraction, dynamic light scattering, high resolution electron microscopy, TGA-DTA, UV-DRS, FTIR and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Intense upconversion emission achieved in the microemulsion synthesized NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanocrystal can make it as useful optical phosphor for solar cell applications.

  17. Lanthanide-doped Na xScF 3+ x nanocrystals: Crystal structure evolution and multicolor tuning

    KAUST Repository

    Teng, Xue; Zhu, Yihan; Wei, Wei; Wang, Shuchao; Huang, Jingfeng; Naccache, Rafik; Hu, Wenbo; Tok, Alfred Iing Yoong; Han, Yu; Zhang, Qichun; Fan, Quli; Huang, Wei; Capobianco, John A.; Huang, Ling

    2012-01-01

    Rare-earth-based nanomaterials have recently drawn considerable attention because of their unique energy upconversion (UC) capabilities. However, studies of Sc 3+-based nanomaterials are still absent. Herein we report the synthesis and fine control

  18. Parametric study of up-conversion efficiency in Er-doped ceria nanoparticles under 780 nm excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shehata, N.; Kandas, I.; Samir, E.; Meehan, K.; Aldacher, M.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents a new parametric study of the optical up-conversion process in ceria nanoparticles doped with erbium (Er-CeO 2 NPs). Under 780 nm excitation, both the possible transitions that occur between Er 3+ ions and up-conversion rate model simulation are presented. Ceria nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs) doped with erbium are experimentally synthesized using chemical precipitation technique with post-annealing up to 900 °C with different weight ratios of erbium dopant. We found that the synthesized nanoparticles can emit both green and red emissions under 780 nm laser excitation via two-photon absorption mechanism. Then, the quantum efficiencies of both colored emissions are theoretically investigated with different parameters related to the optical conversion process and the studied material. In addition, this work offer suggested ranges for the optimum values of the studied parameters which could improve the quantum yield efficiency. Einstein coefficients for erbium hosted in ceria are discussed in details using Judd–Ofelt analysis. This promising study could be helpful in improving the up-conversion efficiency of Er-ceria nanoparticles for applications such as bio-imaging and optical-based sensors.

  19. Increasing conversion efficiency of two-step photon up-conversion solar cell with a voltage booster hetero-interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asahi, Shigeo; Kusaki, Kazuki; Harada, Yukihiro; Kita, Takashi

    2018-01-17

    Development of high-efficiency solar cells is one of the attractive challenges in renewable energy technologies. Photon up-conversion can reduce the transmission loss and is one of the promising concepts which improve conversion efficiency. Here we present an analysis of the conversion efficiency, which can be increased by up-conversion in a single-junction solar cell with a hetero-interface that boosts the output voltage. We confirm that an increase in the quasi-Fermi gap and substantial photocurrent generation result in a high conversion efficiency.

  20. Synthesis of improved upconversion nanoparticles as ultrasensitive fluorescence probe for mycotoxins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Quansheng, E-mail: q.s.chen@hotmail.com; Hu, Weiwei; Sun, Cuicui; Li, Huanhuan; Ouyang, Qin

    2016-09-28

    Rare earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have promising potentials in biodetection due to their unique frequency upconverting capability and high detection sensitivity. This paper reports an improved UCNPs-based fluorescence probe for dual-sensing of Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and Deoxynivalenol (DON) using a magnetism-induced separation and the specific formation of antibody-targets complex. Herein, the improved UCNPs, which were namely NaYF{sub 4}:Yb/Ho/Gd and NaYF{sub 4}:Yb/Tm/Gd, were systematically studied based on the optimization of reaction time, temperature and the concentration of dopant ions with simultaneous phase and size controlled NaYF{sub 4} nanoparticles; and the targets were detected using the pattern of competitive combination assay. Under an optimized condition, the advanced fluorescent probes revealed stronger fluorescent properties, broader biological applications and better storage stabilities compared to traditional UCNPs-based ones; and ultrasensitive determinations of AFB1 and DON were achieved under a wide sensing range of 0.001–0.1 ng ml{sup −1} with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.001 ng ml{sup −1}. Additionally, the applicability of the improved nanosensor for the detection of mycotoxins was also confirmed in adulterated oil samples. - Highlights: • Improved rare earth-doped upconversion nanoparticles were prepared with detailed optimizations. • Setup of an upconversion fluorescence spectrometer. • An advanced UCNPs-based immunosensor for dual-sensing mycotoxins was developed with a LOD of 0.001 ng ml{sup −1}. • Application of this biosensor to detect targets in real samples were confirmed with satisfied results.

  1. A dual-targeting upconversion nanoplatform for two-color fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xu; Yang, Cheng-Xiong; Chen, Jia-Tong; Yan, Xiu-Ping

    2014-04-01

    The targetability of a theranostic probe is one of the keys to assuring its theranostic efficiency. Here we show the design and fabrication of a dual-targeting upconversion nanoplatform for two-color fluorescence imaging-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT). The nanoplatform was prepared from 3-aminophenylboronic acid functionalized upconversion nanocrystals (APBA-UCNPs) and hyaluronated fullerene (HAC60) via a specific diol-borate condensation. The two specific ligands of aminophenylboronic acid and hyaluronic acid provide synergistic targeting effects, high targetability, and hence a dramatically elevated uptake of the nanoplatform by cancer cells. The high generation yield of (1)O2 due to multiplexed Förster resonance energy transfer between APBA-UCNPs (donor) and HAC60 (acceptor) allows effective therapy. The present nanoplatform shows great potential for highly selective tumor-targeted imaging-guided PDT.

  2. A Real-Time Apple Grading System Using Multicolor Space

    OpenAIRE

    Toylan, Hayrettin; Kuscu, Hilmi

    2014-01-01

    This study was focused on the multicolor space which provides a better specification of the color and size of the apple in an image. In the study, a real-time machine vision system classifying apples into four categories with respect to color and size was designed. In the analysis, different color spaces were used. As a result, 97% identification success for the red fields of the apple was obtained depending on the values of the parameter “a” of CIE L*a*b*color space. Similarly, 94% identific...

  3. Critical Shell Thickness of Core/Shell Upconversion Luminescence Nanoplatform for FRET Application

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, Yu; Liu, Kai; Liu, Xiaomin; Dohnalova, Katerina; Gregorkiewicz, Tom; Kong, Xianggui; Aalders, Maurice C. G.; Buma, Wybren J.; Zhang, Hong

    2011-01-01

    Almost all the luminescence upconversion nanoparticles used for Forster resonant energy transfer (FRET) applications are bare cores based on the consideration that the energy transfer efficiency is optimized because the distance between energy donors and acceptors is minimized. On the other hand, it

  4. The upconversion luminescence and magnetism in Yb3+/Ho3+ co-doped LaF3 nanocrystals for potential bimodal imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syamchand, Sasidharanpillai S.; George, Sony

    2016-12-01

    Biocompatible upconversion nanoparticles with multifunctional properties can serve as potential nanoprobes for multimodal imaging. Herein, we report an upconversion nanocrystal based on lanthanum fluoride which is developed to address the imaging modalities, upconversion luminescence imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Lanthanide ions (Yb3+ and Ho3+) doped LaF3 nanocrystals (LaF3 Yb3+/Ho3+) are fabricated through a rapid microwave-assisted synthesis. The hexagonal phase LaF3 nanocrystals exhibit nearly spherical morphology with average diameter of 9.8 nm. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis estimated the doping concentration of Yb3+ and Ho3+ as 3.99 and 0.41%, respectively. The nanocrystals show upconversion luminescence when irradiated with near-infrared (NIR) photons of wavelength 980 nm. The emission spectrum consists of bands centred at 542, 645 and 658 nm. The stronger green emission at 542 nm and the weak red emissions at 645 and 658 nm are assigned to 5S2 → 5I8 and 5F5 → 5I8 transitions of Ho3+, respectively. The pump power dependence of luminescence intensity confirmed the two-photon upconversion process. The nanocrystals exhibit paramagnetism due to the presence of lanthanide ion dopant Ho3+ and the magnetization is 19.81 emu/g at room temperature. The nanocrystals exhibit a longitudinal relaxivity ( r 1) of 0.12 s-1 mM-1 and transverse relaxivity ( r 2) of 28.18 s-1 mM-1, which makes the system suitable for developing T2 MRI contrast agents based on holmium. The LaF3 Yb3+/Ho3+ nanocrystals are surface modified by PEGylation to improve biocompatibility and enhance further functionalisation. The PEGylated nanocrystals are found to be non-toxic up to 50 μg/mL for 48 h of incubation, which is confirmed by the MTT assay as well as morphological studies in HeLa cells. The upconversion luminescence and magnetism together with biocompatibility enables the adaptability of the present system as a nanoprobe for potential

  5. Multicolored Nanofiber Based Organic Light-Emitting Transistor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    With Jensen, Per Baunegaard; Kjelstrup-Hansen, Jakob; Tavares, Luciana

    For optoelectronic applications, organic semiconductors have several advantages over their inorganic counterparts such as facile synthesis, tunability via synthetic chemistry, and low temperature processing. Self-assembled, molecular crystalline nanofibers are of particular interest as they could...... form ultra-small light-emitters in future nanophotonic applications. Such organic nanofibers exhibit many interesting optical properties including polarized photo- and electroluminescence, waveguiding, and emission color tunability. We here present a first step towards a multicolored, electrically...... driven device by combining nanofibers made from two different molecules, parahexaphenylene (p6P) and 5,5´-Di-4-biphenyl-2,2´-bithiophene (PPTTPP), which emits blue and green light, respectively. The organic nanofibers are implemented on a bottom gate/bottom contact field-effect transistor platform using...

  6. Multicolor fluorescent intravital live microscopy (FILM) for surgical tumor resection in a mouse xenograft model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thurber, Greg M; Figueiredo, Jose L; Weissleder, Ralph

    2009-11-30

    Complete surgical resection of neoplasia remains one of the most efficient tumor therapies. However, malignant cell clusters are often left behind during surgery due to the inability to visualize and differentiate them against host tissue. Here we establish the feasibility of multicolor fluorescent intravital live microscopy (FILM) where multiple cellular and/or unique tissue compartments are stained simultaneously and imaged in real time. Theoretical simulations of imaging probe localization were carried out for three agents with specificity for cancer cells, stromal host response, or vascular perfusion. This transport analysis gave insight into the probe pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution, facilitating the experimental design and allowing predictions to be made about the localization of the probes in other animal models and in the clinic. The imaging probes were administered systemically at optimal time points based on the simulations, and the multicolor FILM images obtained in vivo were then compared to conventional pathological sections. Our data show the feasibility of real time in vivo pathology at cellular resolution and molecular specificity with excellent agreement between intravital and traditional in vitro immunohistochemistry. Multicolor FILM is an accurate method for identifying malignant tissue and cells in vivo. The imaging probes distributed in a manner similar to predictions based on transport principles, and these models can be used to design future probes and experiments. FILM can provide critical real time feedback and should be a useful tool for more effective and complete cancer resection.

  7. Multicolor fluorescent intravital live microscopy (FILM for surgical tumor resection in a mouse xenograft model.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Greg M Thurber

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Complete surgical resection of neoplasia remains one of the most efficient tumor therapies. However, malignant cell clusters are often left behind during surgery due to the inability to visualize and differentiate them against host tissue. Here we establish the feasibility of multicolor fluorescent intravital live microscopy (FILM where multiple cellular and/or unique tissue compartments are stained simultaneously and imaged in real time.Theoretical simulations of imaging probe localization were carried out for three agents with specificity for cancer cells, stromal host response, or vascular perfusion. This transport analysis gave insight into the probe pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution, facilitating the experimental design and allowing predictions to be made about the localization of the probes in other animal models and in the clinic. The imaging probes were administered systemically at optimal time points based on the simulations, and the multicolor FILM images obtained in vivo were then compared to conventional pathological sections. Our data show the feasibility of real time in vivo pathology at cellular resolution and molecular specificity with excellent agreement between intravital and traditional in vitro immunohistochemistry.Multicolor FILM is an accurate method for identifying malignant tissue and cells in vivo. The imaging probes distributed in a manner similar to predictions based on transport principles, and these models can be used to design future probes and experiments. FILM can provide critical real time feedback and should be a useful tool for more effective and complete cancer resection.

  8. Color-tunable up-conversion emission of luminescent-plasmonic, core/shell nanomaterials – KY{sub 3}F{sub 10}:Yb{sup 3+},Tm{sup 3+}/SiO{sub 2}-NH{sub 2}/Au

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Runowski, Marcin, E-mail: runowski@amu.edu.pl

    2017-06-15

    Multifunctional luminescent-plasmonic KY{sub 3}F{sub 10}:Yb{sup 3+},Tm{sup 3+}/SiO{sub 2}-NH{sub 2}/Au nanomaterials were successfully obtained. The lanthanide-doped fluoride nanoparticles (NPs), synthesized under hydrothermal conditions exhibited bright blue up-conversion luminescence (λ{sub ex}=980 nm). Such lanthanide nanocrystals (20–40 nm) were coated with amine modified silica shell, forming core/shell nanostructures. Their surface was further uniformly covered with ultra-small gold NPs (4–7 nm). The as-prepared luminescent-plasmonic core/shell nanomaterials exhibited tunable up-conversion emission, due to the interactions between plasmonic and luminescent phases. The emission of Tm{sup 3+} ion was affected by the surface Au NPs, which exhibited strong plasmonic absorption in the visible range (450–650 nm). The increasing amount of the surface Au NPs, led to the significant alterations in a ratio of the Tm{sup 3+} emission bands. The NIR band ({sup 3}H{sub 4}→{sup 3}H{sub 6}) was unchanged, whereas the ratio and relative intensity of the bands in a visible range ({sup 1}G{sub 4}→{sup 3}H{sub 6} and {sup 1}G{sub 4}→{sup 3}F{sub 4}) was altered. This led to the significant change of the emission spectra shape and influenced color of emission, tuning it from bright blue to blue-violet. The products obtained were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and luminescence spectroscopy (excitation/emission spectra and luminescence decay curves).

  9. High multi-photon visible upconversion emissions of Er3+ singly doped BiOCl microcrystals: A photon avalanche of Er3+ induced by 980 nm excitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yongjin; Song, Zhiguo; Li, Chen; Wan, Ronghua; Qiu, Jianbei; Yang, Zhengwen; Yin, Zhaoyi; Yang, Yong; Zhou, Dacheng; Wang, Qi

    2013-01-01

    Under 980 nm excitation, high multi-photon upconversion (UC) emission from the 2 H 11/2 / 4 S 3/2 (green) and 4 F 9/2 (red) levels of Er 3+ ions were observed from Er 3+ singly doped BiOCl microcrystals. These high-energy excited states were populated by a three to ten photon UC process conditionally, which depended on the pump power density and the Er 3+ ion doping concentration, characterizing as a hetero-looping enhanced energy transfer avalanche UC process. UC emission lifetime and Raman analysis suggest that the unusual UC phenomena are initiated by the new and intense phonon vibration modes of BiOCl lattices due to Er 3+ ions doping

  10. Dependence of upconversion emission intensity on Yb3+ concentration in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped flake shaped Y2(MoO4)3 phosphors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Weili; Cheng Lihong; Zhong Haiyang; Sun Jiashi; Wan Jing; Tian Yue; Chen Baojiu

    2010-01-01

    Yttrium molybdate phosphors with fixed Er 3+ and various Yb 3+ concentrations were synthesized via a co-precipitation method. The crystal structure and the morphology of the phosphor were characterized by means of x-ray diffraction and field-emission scanning electron microscopy. Under 980 nm excitation, red and green upconversion emissions centred at 660, 553 and 530 nm were observed. Quantitative analyses on the dependence of upconversion emission intensity on the working current of a laser diode (LD) indicated that two-photon processes are responsible for both red and green upconversion emissions in both cases of low and high Yb 3+ concentrations. The relationship between the emission intensity ratio of 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 to 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 and the working current of the LD was studied for the samples doped with low and high Yb 3+ concentrations. Finally, a set of rate equations was established based on the possible upconversion mechanism, and an empirical formula was proposed to describe the Yb 3+ concentration dependence of upconversion emission intensity; the empirical formula fits well with the experimental data.

  11. Ultra-broadband mid-wave-IR upconversion detection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Barh, Ajanta; Pedersen, Christian; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2017-01-01

    In this Letter, we demonstrate efficient room temperature detection of ultra-broadband mid-wave-infrared (MWIR) light with an almost flat response over more than 1200 nm, exploiting an efficient nonlinear upconversion technique. Black-body radiation from a hot soldering iron rod is used as the IR...... test source. Placing a 20 mm long periodically poled lithium niobate crystal in a compact intra-cavity setup (> 20 WCW pump at 1064 nm), MWIR wavelengths ranging from 3.6 to 4.85 mu m are upconverted to near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths (820-870 nm). The NIR light is detected using a standard low...

  12. Detection of telomerase on upconversion nanoparticle modified cellulose paper.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Faming; Li, Wen; Wang, Jiasi; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

    2015-07-25

    Herein we report a convenient and sensitive method for the detection of telomerase activity based on upconversion nanoparticle (UCNP) modified cellulose paper. Compared with many solution-phase systems, this paper chip is more stable and easily stores the test results. What's more, the low background fluorescence of the UCNPs increases the sensitivity of this method, and the low telomerase levels in different cell lines can clearly be discriminated by the naked eye.

  13. Effect of Tm{sup 3+} codoping on the near-infrared and upconversion emissions of Er{sup 3+} in TeO{sub 2}–ZnO–ZnF{sub 2} glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miguel, A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU,Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Arriandiaga, M.A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apartado 644, Bilbao (Spain); Morea, R. [Instituto de Optica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Fernandez, J. [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU,Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Gonzalo, J. [Instituto de Optica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Balda, R., E-mail: wupbacrr@bi.ehu.es [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU,Alda. Urquijo s/n, 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain)

    2014-10-15

    In this work, we report the near-infrared emission and upconversion of Er{sup 3+}–Tm{sup 3+} codoped fluorotellurite TeO{sub 2}–ZnO–ZnF{sub 2} glasses for different Tm{sup 3+} concentrations by using steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy. A broad emission from 1350 to 1700 nm corresponding to the {sup 3}H{sub 4}→{sup 3}F{sub 4} (Tm{sup 3+}) and {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} (Er{sup 3+}) emissions which cover the complete telecommunication window of the wavelength-division-multiplexing transmission systems is observed. The full width at half-maximum of this broadband increases with increasing Tm{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} concentration ratio up to a value of∼150 nm. Energy transfer between Er{sup 3+} and Tm{sup 3+} ions is also observed and analyzed by both the temporal behavior of the near-infrared luminescence and the effect of Tm{sup 3+} codoping on the visible upconversion of Er{sup 3+} ions. The addition of Tm{sup 3+} reduces the upconverted green emission due to Er{sup 3+}→Tm{sup 3+} energy transfer whereas the red emission is enhanced due to the cross-relaxation {sup 3}F{sub 4}→{sup 3}H{sub 6}(Tm{sup 3+}):{sup 4}I{sub 11/2}→{sup 4}F{sub 9/2}(Er{sup 3+}) process. - Highlights: • Broadband emission covering the bands S, C+L and U of the optical telecommunications. • The effect of Tm{sup 3+} concentration were investigated in Er{sup 3+}–Tm{sup 3+} codoped fluorotellurite glasses. • Efficient Er{sup 3+}↔Tm{sup 3+} energy transfer in fluorotellurite glasses. • Increase of the red upconversion emission with Tm{sup 3+} concentration due to cross-relaxation processes.

  14. LUMINESCENCE DIAGNOSTICS OF TUMORS WITH UPCONVERSION NANOPARTICLES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. V. Rocheva

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: To improve quality of surgery in oncology, it is necessary to completely remove the tumor, including its metastases, to minimize injury to normal tissues and to reduce duration of an intervention. Modern methods of detection based on radiological computerized tomography and magnetic resonance imaging can identify a tumor after its volume has become big enough, i.e. it contains more than 10 billion cells. Therefore, an improvement of sensitivity and resolution ability of diagnostic tools to identify early stages of malignant neoplasms seems of utmost importance. Aim: To demonstrate the potential of a new class of anti-Stokes luminescence nanoparticles for deep optical imaging with high contrast of malignant tumors. Materials and methods: Upconversion nanoparticles with narrow dispersion and a  size of 70 to 80  nm, with a  core/shell structure of NaYF4:Yb3+:Tm3+/NaYF4 were used in the study. The nanoparticles have an intensive band of anti-Stokes photoluminescence at a wavelength of 800  nm under irradiation with a  wavelength of 975  nm (both wavelengths are within the transparency window for biological tissues. The conversion coefficient of the excitation radiation into the anti-Stokes luminescence was 9%. To increase the time during which nanoparticles can circulate in blood flow of small animals, the nanoparticles were covered by a  biocompatible amphiphilic polymer shell. As a  tumor model we used Lewis epidermoid carcinoma transfected to mice. Results: We were able to obtain stable water colloids of nanoparticles covered with amphiphilic polymer that could preserve their initial size at least for one month. The use of upconversion nanoparticles with a  hydrophilic shell made of intermittent maleic anhydride and octadecene co-polymer with subsequent coating with diglycidyl polyethylene glycol ether allowed for reduction of non-specific reaction of nanoparticles with plasma proteins. In its turn, it resulted in an

  15. Photodynamic therapy using upconversion nanoparticles prepared by laser ablation in liquid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ikehata, Tomohiro; Onodera, Yuji; Nunokawa, Takashi [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502 (Japan); Hirano, Tomohisa; Ogura, Shun-ichiro; Kamachi, Toshiaki [Graduate School of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502 (Japan); Odawara, Osamu [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502 (Japan); Wada, Hiroyuki, E-mail: wada.h.ac@m.titech.ac.jp [Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, 4259 Nagatsuta-cho, Midori-ku, Yokohama 226-8502 (Japan)

    2015-09-01

    Highlights: • Highly crystalline upconversion nanoparticles were prepared by laser ablation in liquid. • Highly transparent near-IR irradiation generated singlet oxygen. • Viability of cancer cells was significantly decreased by near-IR irradiation. - Abstract: Upconversion nanoparticles were prepared by laser ablation in liquid, and the potential use of the nanoparticles for cancer treatment was investigated. A Nd:YAG/SHG laser (532 nm, 13 ns, 10 Hz) was used for ablation, and the cancer treatment studied was photodynamic therapy (PDT). Morphology and crystallinity of prepared nanoparticles were examined by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Red and green emissions resulting from near-infrared excitation were observed by a fluorescence spectrophotometer. Generation of singlet oxygen was confirmed by a photochemical method using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF). In vitro experiments using cultivated cancer cells were conducted to investigate PDT effects. Uptake of the photosensitizer by cancer cells and cytotoxicities of cancer cells were also examined. We conclude that the combination of PDT and highly crystalline nanoparticles, which were prepared by laser ablation in liquid, is an effective cancer treatment.

  16. Study of the focusing effect of silica microspheres on the upconversion of Er3+–Yb3+ codoped glass ceramics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pérez-Rodríguez, C.; Imanieh, M.H.; Martín, L.L; Ríos, S.; Martín, I.R.; Yekta, Bijan Eftekhari

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Silica microspheres have been located on the surface of glass and glass ceramics samples codoped with Er and Yb. •Microspheres act as microlens of the 950 nm excitation light resulting in focalized excited regions in the samples with sizes under the micron. •Intense red upconversion is achieved in the focalized areas. •Microspheres collect the upconversion emission light, scoping with the together microlensing properties an enhancement of the detected signal in a 3x factor. •Performed Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations predict the size of the focalized regions in good agreement with the experimental measurements. -- Abstract: The upconversion emission properties of Er 3+ –Yb 3+ codoped glass and glass ceramic samples with different Si/Al ratios and thermal treatments were analyzed by covering their surfaces with silica microspheres (3.8 μm diameter). A 950 nm laser beam is focused by the microspheres producing a set of photonic nanojets near the surface of the samples. After the upconversion processes of the Er 3+ ions located in each microsphere focus area, these ions emit light in the green and red regions. The red emission from each sample was measured, yielding an upconversion intensity in the focal areas three times higher than the emission from the bare substrate. To estimate the real size of the red emission area under a single microsphere, a deconvolution of the measured focal spots with the Point Spread Function of the experimental setup was performed, resulting in a Full Width at Half Maximum of 330 nm. The results obtained by Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations are in good agreement with the experimental values

  17. FY 2000 Project of developing international standards for supporting new industries. 'Standardization of multicolor measurement'; 2000 nendo shinki sangyo shiengata kokusai hyojun kaihatsu jigyo seika hokokusho. Multicolor no sokushoku no hyojunka

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-03-01

    Described herein are the FY 2000 results of the study on and research and development of the testing methods for tones of anisotropic color materials (multi-colors) for proposing the international standard. USA has proposed the triangle colorimetry, based on the results of the visual tests with metallic paints, which is being incorporated in the ASTM standards. Germany seems to adopt the multi-angle colorimetery in the DIN standards. The FY 2000 efforts are directed to measurement of the reflection characteristics of the metallic and pearl-mica samples by a variable-angle spectrophotometer. The solid color and metallic color are being evaluated by a weather resistance tester QUV and outdoor tests, because of the anticipated different mechanisms by which they are aged. The functional test and analysis are also required to correlate the multi-color measurement results with visual evaluation results, and the preliminary tests are conducted to improve skill of the panelists. (NEDO)

  18. Performance of various quantum-key-distribution systems using 1.55-μm up-conversion single-photon detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diamanti, Eleni; Takesue, Hiroki; Honjo, Toshimori; Inoue, Kyo; Yamamoto, Yoshihisa

    2005-01-01

    We compare the performance of various quantum-key-distribution (QKD) systems using a single-photon detector, which combines frequency up-conversion in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide and a silicon avalanche photodiode (APD). The comparison is based on the secure communication rate as a function of distance for three QKD protocols: the Bennett-Brassard 1984, the Bennett-Brassard-Mermin 1992, and the coherent differential-phase-shift keying protocols. We show that the up-conversion detector allows for higher communication rates and longer communication distances than the commonly used InGaAs/InP APD for all three QKD protocols

  19. Tuning crystal field symmetry of hexagonal NaY{sub 0.92}Yb{sub 0.05}Er{sub 0.03}F{sub 4} by Ti{sup 4+} codoping for high-performance upconversion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Han, E-mail: fjfzyh@fzu.edu.cn [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 (China); Huang, Qingming [Instrumentation Analysis and Research Center, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Ma, En [Fujian Institue of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Zhang, Xinqi [Instrumentation Analysis and Research Center, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350002 (China); Yu, Jianchang [College of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, Fujian 350108 (China)

    2014-11-15

    Highlights: • Upconversion emission of Er{sup 3+} was obviously enhanced by Ti{sup 4+} codoped in NaYF{sub 4}. • The upconversion luminescence lifetime was also obviously prolonged. • Na{sup +} could be induced to occupy Y{sup 3+} sites if Ti{sup 4+} was codoped with appropriate concentration. • The crystal field asymmetry was enhanced for better upconversion performance. • Crystal growth was prevented and small-sized NaYF{sub 4} were obtained. - Abstract: 378 nm, 408 nm and 521 nm upconversion emissions of Er{sup 3+} ions were obviously enhanced by Ti{sup 4+} codoped with Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} in hexagonal NaYF{sub 4}, and the corresponding upconversion luminescence lifetimes were also prolonged, especially for 378 nm and 408 nm emissions. X-ray powder diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and upconversion emission spectra were employed to explore the relationships of the structure and properties. From these characterizations we made a novel discovery that Na{sup +} could be induced to occupy Y{sup 3+} sites for establishing valence balance of the system if Ti{sup 4+} ions were codoped with appropriate concentration. As a result the crystal field asymmetry of NaY{sub 0.92}Yb{sub 0.05}Er{sub 0.03}F{sub 4} was enhanced and then its upconversion properties were improved because the hypersensitive electron transition of Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} ions was promoted greatly. At the same time, the crystal sizes of the codoped NaYF{sub 4} became smaller because the crystal growth was prevented by more negative charges gathering at the crystal surface. This study provides an exploration of the relationship among impurity doping, structural changes and upconversion performance, which may be useful for design and synthesis of high-performance upconversion codoping materials.

  20. Femtosecond fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy of vapor-deposited tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum films.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Humbs, W.; Zhang, H.; Glasbeek, M.

    2000-01-01

    Abstract Vapor-deposited Alq3 is used as the green emitting layer in a class of organic light-emitting diodes. In this paper, the time dependence of the fluorescence from thin Alq3 films has been studied by means of the femtosecond fluorescence upconversion technique. From the temporally resolved

  1. Neutral- and Multi-Colored Semitransparent Perovskite Solar Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Kyu-Tae; Guo, L Jay; Park, Hui Joon

    2016-04-11

    In this review, we summarize recent works on perovskite solar cells with neutral- and multi-colored semitransparency for building-integrated photovoltaics and tandem solar cells. The perovskite solar cells exploiting microstructured arrays of perovskite "islands" and transparent electrodes-the latter of which include thin metallic films, metal nanowires, carbon nanotubes, graphenes, and transparent conductive oxides for achieving optical transparency-are investigated. Moreover, the perovskite solar cells with distinctive color generation, which are enabled by engineering the band gap of the perovskite light-harvesting semiconductors with chemical management and integrating with photonic nanostructures, including microcavity, are discussed. We conclude by providing future research directions toward further performance improvements of the semitransparent perovskite solar cells.

  2. Phenotyping of Arabidopsis Drought Stress Response Using Kinetic Chlorophyll Fluorescence and Multicolor Fluorescence Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jieni Yao

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Plant responses to drought stress are complex due to various mechanisms of drought avoidance and tolerance to maintain growth. Traditional plant phenotyping methods are labor-intensive, time-consuming, and subjective. Plant phenotyping by integrating kinetic chlorophyll fluorescence with multicolor fluorescence imaging can acquire plant morphological, physiological, and pathological traits related to photosynthesis as well as its secondary metabolites, which will provide a new means to promote the progress of breeding for drought tolerant accessions and gain economic benefit for global agriculture production. Combination of kinetic chlorophyll fluorescence and multicolor fluorescence imaging proved to be efficient for the early detection of drought stress responses in the Arabidopsis ecotype Col-0 and one of its most affected mutants called reduced hyperosmolality-induced [Ca2+]i increase 1. Kinetic chlorophyll fluorescence curves were useful for understanding the drought tolerance mechanism of Arabidopsis. Conventional fluorescence parameters provided qualitative information related to drought stress responses in different genotypes, and the corresponding images showed spatial heterogeneities of drought stress responses within the leaf and the canopy levels. Fluorescence parameters selected by sequential forward selection presented high correlations with physiological traits but not morphological traits. The optimal fluorescence traits combined with the support vector machine resulted in good classification accuracies of 93.3 and 99.1% for classifying the control plants from the drought-stressed ones with 3 and 7 days treatments, respectively. The results demonstrated that the combination of kinetic chlorophyll fluorescence and multicolor fluorescence imaging with the machine learning technique was capable of providing comprehensive information of drought stress effects on the photosynthesis and the secondary metabolisms. It is a promising

  3. M-GCF: Multicolor-Green Conflict Free Scheduling Algorithm for WSN

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pawar, Pranav M.; Nielsen, Rasmus Hjorth; Prasad, Neeli R.

    2012-01-01

    division multiple access (TDMA) scheduling algorithm, Multicolor-Green Conflict Free (M-GCF), for WSNs. The proposed algorithm finds multiple conflict free slots across a three-hop neighbor view. The algorithm shows better slot sharing with fewer conflicts along with good energy efficiency, throughput...... and delay as compared with state-of-the-art solutions. The results also include the performance of M-GCF with varying traffic rates, which also shows good energy efficiency, throughput and delay. The contribution of this paper and the main reason for the improved performance with varying number of nodes...

  4. Upconversion studies of Er3+/Yb3+ doped SrO.TiO2 borosilicate glass ceramic system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maheshwari, Aditya; Om Prakash; Kumar, Devendra; Rai, S.B.

    2011-01-01

    Upconversion behaviour has been studied in various matrices and fine powders of SrTiO 3 by previous workers. In present work, Er 3+ /Yb 3+ were doped in appropriate ratio in SrO.TiO 2 borosilicate glass ceramic system to study the upconversion phenomenon. Dielectric properties of this class of glass ceramic system have been extensively investigated by Thakur et al. It has been observed that both upconversion efficiency and dielectric constant increases with transformation of glass into glass ceramic. Therefore, present investigation is based upon the study of optical as well as the electrical properties of same glass ceramic system. In order to prepare different crystalline matrices, two different Er 3+ /Yb 3+ :SrO.TiO 2 borosilicate glasses with same amount of Er 2 O 3 and Yb 2 O 3 were prepared by melt quench method. Glasses were transparent with light-wine colour. Glass ceramics were prepared from the glasses by heat treatment based on DTA (Differential thermal analysis) results. Glass ceramics were fully opaque with brownish-cream colour. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed that two different crystalline matrices, Sr 3 Ti 2 O 7 , Ti 10 O 19 and SrTiO 3 , TiO 2 were present in two glass ceramic samples respectively. Luminescence properties of glass and glass ceramic samples with 976nm laser irradiation showed that the intensities of the green and red emission increased multiple times in glass ceramic than that of the glass. Possible mechanisms responsible for upconversion eg. Energy Transfer (ET) and Excited State Absorption (ESA), were studied through laser pumping power log dependence

  5. Optimization of multi-color laser waveform for high-order harmonic generation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Cheng; Lin, C. D.

    2016-09-01

    With the development of laser technologies, multi-color light-field synthesis with complete amplitude and phase control would make it possible to generate arbitrary optical waveforms. A practical optimization algorithm is needed to generate such a waveform in order to control strong-field processes. We review some recent theoretical works of the optimization of amplitudes and phases of multi-color lasers to modify the single-atom high-order harmonic generation based on genetic algorithm. By choosing different fitness criteria, we demonstrate that: (i) harmonic yields can be enhanced by 10 to 100 times, (ii) harmonic cutoff energy can be substantially extended, (iii) specific harmonic orders can be selectively enhanced, and (iv) single attosecond pulses can be efficiently generated. The possibility of optimizing macroscopic conditions for the improved phase matching and low divergence of high harmonics is also discussed. The waveform control and optimization are expected to be new drivers for the next wave of breakthrough in the strong-field physics in the coming years. Project supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (Grant No. 30916011207), Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences Division, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Office of Science, U. S. Department of Energy (Grant No. DE-FG02-86ER13491), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research, USA (Grant No. FA9550-14-1-0255).

  6. NIR Ratiometric Luminescence Detection of pH Fluctuation in Living Cells with Hemicyanine Derivative-Assembled Upconversion Nanophosphors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Haixia; Dong, Hao; Yu, Mingming; Liu, Chunxia; Li, Zhanxian; Wei, Liuhe; Sun, Ling-Dong; Zhang, Hongyan

    2017-09-05

    It is crucial for cell physiology to keep the homeostasis of pH, and it is highly demanded yet challenging to develop luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET)-based near-infrared (NIR) ratiometric luminescent sensor for the detection of pH fluctuation with NIR excitation. As promising energy donors for LRET, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been widely used to fabricate nanosensors, but the relatively low LRET efficiency limits their application in bioassay. To improve the LRET efficiency, core/shell/shell structured β-NaGdF 4 @NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm@NaYF 4 UCNPs were prepared and decorated with hemicyanine dyes as an LRET-based NIR ratiometric luminescent pH fluctuation-nanosensor for the first time. The as-developed nanosensor not only exhibits good antidisturbance ability, but it also can reversibly sense pH and linearly sense pH in a range of 6.0-9.0 and 6.8-9.0 from absorption and upconversion emission spectra, respectively. In addition, the nanosensor displays low dark toxicity under physiological temperature, indicating good biocompatibility. Furthermore, live cell imaging results revealed that the sensor can selectively monitor pH fluctuation via ratiometric upconversion luminescence behavior.

  7. Enhanced broadband upconversion emission and 23 dB optical gain at 780 nm in Tm3+/Nd3+ codoped optical fiber

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Weiwei; Chen, Shuyue; Htein, Lin; Han, Won-Taek

    2015-01-01

    Maximum gain of 23 dB at 780 nm and a broadband optical gain with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 88 nm (761–849 nm) were obtained from the Tm 3+ /Nd 3+ codoped fiber upon pumping at 1550 nm. The enhancement of the upconversion emission stretching from 730 to 970 nm was observed in the Tm 3+ /Nd 3+ codoped fiber due to the energy transfer from Tm 3+ to Nd 3+ ions. - Highlights: • We fabricated the Tm 3+ /Nd 3+ codoped silica based fiber. • The broadband upconversion emission was observed with 1550 nm pumping. • Maximum gain of 23 dB was observed at 780 nm from the Tm 3+ /Nd 3+ codoped fiber. • The gain bandwidth of the upconversion emission was largely increased due to energy transfer process

  8. MiCPhot: A prime-focus multicolor CCD photometer on the 85-cm Telescope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhou Aiying; Jiang Xiaojun; Wei Jianyan; Zhang Yanping

    2009-01-01

    We describe a new BV RI multicolor CCD photometric system situated at the prime focus of the 85-cm telescope at the Xinglong Station of NAOC. Atmospheric extinction effects, photometric accuracy and color calibration dependence of the system are investigated. Additional attention was paid to giving observers guidance in estimating throughput, detection limit, signal-to-noise ratio and exposure time. (invited reviews)

  9. A facile synthesis approach and impact of shell formation on morphological structure and luminescent properties of aqueous dispersible NaGdF{sub 4}:Yb/Er upconversion nanorods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ansari, Anees A., E-mail: aneesaansari@gmail.com [King Saud University, King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology (Saudi Arabia); Yadav, Ranvijay; Rai, S. B. [Banaras Hindu University, Department of Physics (India)

    2016-12-15

    A general facile synthesis approach was used for fabrication of highly emissive aqueous dispersible hexagonal phase upconversion luminescent NaGdF{sub 4}:Yb/Er nanorods (core NRs) through metal complex decomposition process. An inert NaGdF{sub 4} and porous silica layers were grafted surrounding the surface of each and every NRs to enhance their luminescence efficiency and colloidal dispersibility in aqueous environment. Optical properties in terms of band gap energy of core, core/shell, and silica-coated core/shell/SiO{sub 2} nanorods were observed to investigate the influence of surface coating, which was gradually decreased after surface coating because of increase crystalline size after growth of inert and silica shells. The inert shell formation before silica surface grafting, upconversion luminescence intensity was greatly improved by about 20 times, owing to the effective surface passivation of the seed core and, therefore, protection of Er{sup 3+} ion in the core from the nonradiative decay caused by surface defects. Moreover, after silica coating, core/shell nanorods shows strong upconversion luminescence property similar to the hexagonal upconversion core NRs. It is expected that these NaGdF{sub 4}:Yb/Er@NaGdF{sub 4}@SiO{sub 2} (core/shell/SiO{sub 2}) NRs including highly upconversion emissive and aqueous dispersible properties make them an ideal materials for various photonic-based potential applications such as in upconversion luminescent bioimaging, magnetic resonance imaging, and photodynamic therapy.

  10. Precise Photodynamic Therapy of Cancer via Subcellular Dynamic Tracing of Dual-loaded Upconversion Nanophotosensitizers

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chang, Y.; Li, X.; Zhang, L.; Xia, L.; Liu, Xiaomin; Li, C.; Zhang, Y.; Tu, L.; Xue, B.; Zhao, H.; Zhang, H.; Kong, X.

    2017-01-01

    Recent advances in upconversion nanophotosensitizers (UCNPs-PS) excited by near-infrared (NIR) light have led to substantial progress in improving photodynamic therapy (PDT) of cancer. For a successful PDT, subcellular organelles are promising therapeutic targets for reaching a satisfactory

  11. Development Of A Multicolor Sub/millimeter Camera Using Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlaerth, James A.; Czakon, N. G.; Day, P. K.; Downes, T. P.; Duan, R.; Glenn, J.; Golwala, S. R.; Hollister, M. I.; LeDuc, H. G.; Maloney, P. R.; Mazin, B. A.; Noroozian, O.; Sayers, J.; Siegel, S.; Vayonakis, A.; Zmuidzinas, J.

    2011-01-01

    Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors (MKIDs) are superconducting resonators useful for detecting light from the millimeter-wave to the X-ray. These detectors are easily multiplexed, as the resonances can be tuned to slightly different frequencies, allowing hundreds of detectors to be read out simultaneously using a single feedline. The Multicolor Submillimeter Inductance Camera, MUSIC, will use 2304 antenna-coupled MKIDs in multicolor operation, with bands centered at wavelengths of 0.85, 1.1, 1.3 and 2.0 mm, beginning in 2011. Here we present the results of our demonstration instrument, DemoCam, containing a single 3-color array with 72 detectors and optics similar to MUSIC. We present sensitivities achieved at the telescope, and compare to those expected based upon laboratory tests. We explore the factors that limit the sensitivity, in particular electronics noise, antenna efficiency, and excess loading. We discuss mitigation of these factors, and how we plan to improve sensitivity to the level of background-limited performance for the scientific operation of MUSIC. Finally, we note the expected mapping speed and contributions of MUSIC to astrophysics, and in particular to the study of submillimeter galaxies. This research has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and the NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program.

  12. Near-field thermal upconversion and energy transfer through a Kerr medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khandekar, Chinmay; Rodriguez, Alejandro W

    2017-09-18

    We present an approach for achieving large Kerr χ (3) -mediated thermal energy transfer at the nanoscale that exploits a general coupled-mode description of triply resonant, four-wave mixing processes. We analyze the efficiency of thermal upconversion and energy transfer from mid- to near-infrared wavelengths in planar geometries involving two slabs supporting far-apart surface plasmon polaritons and separated by a nonlinear χ (3) medium that is irradiated by externally incident light. We study multiple geometric and material configurations and different classes of intervening mediums-either bulk or nanostructured lattices of nanoparticles embedded in nonlinear materials-designed to resonantly enhance the interaction of the incident light with thermal slab resonances. We find that even when the entire system is in thermodynamic equilibrium (at room temperature) and under typical drive intensities ~ W/μm 2 , the resulting upconversion rates can approach and even exceed thermal flux rates achieved in typical symmetric and non-equilibrium configurations of vacuum-separated slabs. The proposed nonlinear scheme could potentially be exploited to achieve thermal cooling and refrigeration at the nanoscale, and to actively control heat transfer between materials with dramatically different resonant responses.

  13. Strategies for the design of bright upconversion nanoparticles for bioanalytical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiesholler, Lisa M.; Hirsch, Thomas

    2018-06-01

    In recent years upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) received great attention because of their outstanding optical properties. Especially in bioanalytical applications this class of materials can overcome limitations of common probes like high background fluorescence or blinking. Nevertheless, the requirements for UCNPs to be applicable in biological samples, e.g. small size, water-dispersibility, excitation at low power density are in contradiction with the demand of high brightness. Therefore, a lot of attention is payed to the enhancement of the upconversion luminescence. This review discuss the recent trends and strategies to boost the brightness of UCNPs, classified in three main directions: a) improving the efficiency of energy absorption by the sensitizer via coupling to plasmonic or photonic structures or via attachment of ligands for light harvesting; b) minimizing non-radiative deactivation by variations in the architecture of UCNPs; and c) changing the excitation wavelength to get bright particles at low excitation power density for applications in aqueous systems. These strategies are critically reviewed including current limitations as well as future perspectives for the design of efficient UCNPs especially for sensing application in biological samples or cells.

  14. Self-Assembled Polyelectrolyte Nanoparticles as Fluorophore-Free Contrast Agents for Multicolor Optical Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Da Hye Shin

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available In this work, we describe the fabrication of self-assembled polyelectrolyte nanoparticles that provide a multicolor optical imaging modality. Poly(γ-glutamic acid(γ-PGA formed self-assembled nanoparticles through electrostatic interactions with two different cationic polymers: poly(L-lysine(PLL and chitosan. The self-assembled γ-PGA/PLL and γ-PGA/chitosan nanoparticles were crosslinked by glutaraldehyde. Crosslinking of the ionic self-assembled nanoparticles with glutaraldehyde not only stabilized the nanoparticles but also generated a strong autofluorescence signal. Fluorescent Schiff base bonds (C=N and double bonds (C=C were generated simultaneously by crosslinking of the amine moiety of the cationic polyelectrolytes with monomeric glutaraldehyde or with polymeric glutaraldehyde. The unique optical properties of the nanoparticles that resulted from the crosslinking by glutaraldehyde were analyzed using UV/Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. We observed that the fluorescence intensity of the nanoparticles could be regulated by adjusting the crosslinker concentration and the reaction time. The nanoparticles also exhibited high performance in the labeling and monitoring of therapeutic immune cells (macrophages and dendritic cells. These self-assembled nanoparticles are expected to be a promising multicolor optical imaging contrast agent for the labeling, detection, and monitoring of cells.

  15. Study of the focusing effect of silica microspheres on the upconversion of Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} codoped glass ceramics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pérez-Rodríguez, C., E-mail: cjperez@ull.edu.es [Dpto. Física Fundamental y Experimental, Electrónica y Sistemas, Universidad de La Laguna, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Imanieh, M.H. [Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States); Department of Materials, Ceramic Division, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Martín, L.L [Dpto. Física Fundamental y Experimental, Electrónica y Sistemas, Universidad de La Laguna, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Ríos, S. [Dpto. de Física Básica, Universidad de La Laguna, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Martín, I.R. [Dpto. Física Fundamental y Experimental, Electrónica y Sistemas, Universidad de La Laguna, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); MALTA Consolider Team, Av. Astrofísico Francisco Sánchez, s/n E-38206 La Laguna, Tenerife (Spain); Yekta, Bijan Eftekhari [Department of Materials, Ceramic Division, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2013-11-05

    Highlights: •Silica microspheres have been located on the surface of glass and glass ceramics samples codoped with Er and Yb. •Microspheres act as microlens of the 950 nm excitation light resulting in focalized excited regions in the samples with sizes under the micron. •Intense red upconversion is achieved in the focalized areas. •Microspheres collect the upconversion emission light, scoping with the together microlensing properties an enhancement of the detected signal in a 3x factor. •Performed Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations predict the size of the focalized regions in good agreement with the experimental measurements. -- Abstract: The upconversion emission properties of Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} codoped glass and glass ceramic samples with different Si/Al ratios and thermal treatments were analyzed by covering their surfaces with silica microspheres (3.8 μm diameter). A 950 nm laser beam is focused by the microspheres producing a set of photonic nanojets near the surface of the samples. After the upconversion processes of the Er{sup 3+} ions located in each microsphere focus area, these ions emit light in the green and red regions. The red emission from each sample was measured, yielding an upconversion intensity in the focal areas three times higher than the emission from the bare substrate. To estimate the real size of the red emission area under a single microsphere, a deconvolution of the measured focal spots with the Point Spread Function of the experimental setup was performed, resulting in a Full Width at Half Maximum of 330 nm. The results obtained by Finite-Difference Time-Domain simulations are in good agreement with the experimental values.

  16. Plasmon Enhancement of Triplet Exciton Diffusion Revealed by Nanoscale Imaging of Photochemical Fluorescence Upconversion

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bujak, Lukasz; Narushima, K.; Sharma, D.K.; Hirata, S.; Vácha, M.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 121, č. 45 (2017), s. 25479-25486 ISSN 1932-7447 Institutional support: RVO:67985882 Keywords : Plasmons * Fluorescence upconversion * Nanostructures Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers OBOR OECD: Optics (including laser optics and quantum optics) Impact factor: 4.536, year: 2016

  17. Multifunctional BaYbF5: Gd/Er upconversion nanoparticles for in vivo tri-modal upconversion optical, X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xiaolong; Yi, Zhigao; Xue, Zhenluan; Zeng, Songjun; Liu, Hongrong

    2017-06-01

    Development of high-quality upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) with combination of the merits of multiple molecular imaging techniques, such as, upconversion luminescence (UCL) imaging, X-ray computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, could significantly improve the accuracy of biological diagnosis. In this work, multifunctional BaYbF 5 : Gd/Er (50:2mol%) UCNPs were synthesized via a solvothermal method using oleic acid (OA) as surface ligands (denoted as OA-UCNPs). The OA-UCNPs were further treated by diluted HCl to form ligand-free UCNPs (LF-UCNPs) for later bioimaging applications. The cytotoxicity assay in HeLa cells shows low cell toxicity of these LF-UCNPs. Owing to the efficient UCL of BaYbF 5 : Gd/Er, the LF-UCNPs were successfully used as luminescent bioprobe in UCL bioimaging. And, X-ray CT imaging reveals that BaYbF 5 : Gd/Er UCNPs can act as potential contrast agents for detection of the liver and spleen in the live mice owing to the high-Z elements (e.g., Ba, Yb, and Gd) in host matrix. Moreover, with the addition of Gd, the as-designed UCNPs exhibit additional positive contrast enhancement in T 1 -weighted MR imaging. These findings demonstrate that BaYbF 5 : Gd/Er UCNPs are potential candidates for tri-modal imaging. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Energy Pooling Upconversion in Free Space and Optical Cavities

    Science.gov (United States)

    LaCount, Michael D.

    The ability to efficiently convert the wavelength of light has value in a wide range of disciplines that include the fields of photovoltaics, plant growth, optics and medicine. The processes by which such transformations are carried out are known as upconversions and downconversions. There are several ways to up/down convert light, each with its own attributes, issues, and competing mechanisms. Most are associated with one-body or two-body processes. Three-body dynamics are also possible though, going by the names of quantum cutting (downconversion) and energy pooling (upconversion). These use virtual excited electronic states to mediate conversions as has been experimentally realized using lanthanide ions embedded in wide bandgap materials. The use of lanthanides to convert light is not ideal due to their relative scarcity, toxicity, and the limited range of light frequencies that can be absorbed and emitted. Organic molecules, on the other hand, are typically non-toxic, are made up of abundant elements, and can be designed with tailored spectral properties. At issue is whether or not they can be used to carry out efficient energy pooling, the central question to be answered in this thesis. The research presented here draws on a perturbative quantum electrodynamics framework previously established for generic energy pooling. It was used to develop a computational methodology for determining the rate of energy pooling and its competing processes. This, in turn, draws on a combination of time-dependent density functional theory, quantum electrodynamics, and perturbation theory to generate the requisite material property data. This computational model was applied to two test systems consisting of stilbene-fluorescein and hexabenzocoronene-oligothiophene. The stilbene-fluorescein system was found to have a maximum energy pooling rate efficiency (as compared to competing processes) of 17% and the hexabenzocoronene-oligothiophene system was found to have a maximum

  19. Utilization of visible to NIR light energy by Yb"+"3, Er"+"3 and Tm"+"3 doped BiVO_4 for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Regmi, Chhabilal; Kshetri, Yuwaraj K.; Ray, Schindra Kumar; Pandey, Ramesh Prasad; Lee, Soo Wohn

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Lanthanide doped BiVO_4 as highly efficient upconversion and photocatalytic material. • Well defined beads like morphology for better photocatalytic activity. • Effective utilization of NIR and visible light for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. • Nontoxic to human cells, potential for application in biological fields. - Abstract: Lanthanide-doped BiVO_4 semiconductors with efficient photocatalytic activities over a broad range of the solar light spectrum have been synthesized by the microwave hydrothermal method using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the as-synthesized samples were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The chemical compositions were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The toxicity of the samples was measured using Mus musculus skin melanoma cells (B16-F10 (ATCC"® CRL-6475™)) and were found to be nontoxic for human cells. The photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared samples was evaluated by methylene blue (MB) degradation. The best photocatalytic activity was shown by BiVO_4 with 6:3:3 mol percentage of Yb"+"3:Er"+"3:Tm"+"3 in all solar light spectrum. The synthesized samples possess low band gap energy and a hollow structure suitable for the better photocatalytic activity. The observed NIR photoactivity supports that the upconversion mechanism is involved in the overall photocatalytic process. Therefore, this approach provides a better alternative upconversion material for integral solar light absorption.

  20. Upconversion emission study of Er3+/Yb3+ doped barium titanate phosphor prepared by co-precipitation method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahata, M.K.; Dey, R.; Kumar, K.; Rai, V.K.; Rai, S.B.

    2012-01-01

    In the present work we have successfully synthesized the Er 3+ , Yb 3+ doped barium titanate phosphor via co-precipitation synthesis method. Under 980 nm excitation, tri-color upconversion fluorescence has been observed. The Fourier Transform Infrared measurement was done to check the presence of organic impurities. In order to find out how many photons are involved in each emission band, the variation of UC emission intensity of the codoped phosphor is studied with increase in excitation power. Upconversion emission spectra show that as the annealing temperature of the powder is increased, intensity of red emission decreases and intensity of green emission increases due to the decrease in maximum phonon frequency of the host material. (author)

  1. Optical Spectroscopy and Visible Upconversion Studies of YVO4:Er3+ Nanocrystals Synthesized by a Hydrothermal Process

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sun, Y.; Liu, H.; Wang, X.; Kong, X.; Zhang, H.

    2006-01-01

    Abstract: Strong visible emissions of Er3+ resulting from two-photon absorption and energy transfer from the host YVO4 were observed in nanocrystalline Er3+-doped YVO4, which was prepared by a hydrothermal method using a citrate-yttrium-vanadate complex as the precursor. The nanocrystals were

  2. Additives and solvents-induced phase and morphology modification of NaYF_4 for improving up-conversion emission

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuang, Jianle; Yang, Xianfeng; Wang, Jing; Lei, Bingfu; Liu, Yingliang; Wu, Mingmei

    2016-01-01

    Both cubic and hexagonal NaYF_4 were synthesized in different reaction systems via hydro/solvo-thermal route. The effects of reaction temperature, solvents, and additives on the synthesis of NaYF_4 have been studied in detail. It has been shown that phase transformation from cubic NaYF_4 to hexagonal NaYF_4 always occurred. The sequence of the ability for inducing the phase transformation was ethanol>H_2O>acetic acid. It is found that ethanol can not only facilitate the formation of hexagonal NaYF_4 but also control the growth of the crystal. This is quite unusual for the growth of H-NaYF_4. The up-conversion emission properties of Yb/Er co-doped NaYF_4 have also been investigated and the results demonstrated some general principles for improving up-conversion emission. - Graphical abstract: Additives and solvents can induce the phase transformation of NaYF_4, typically the use of organic sodium salt and ethanol. - Highlights: • The effect of additives and solvents on the synthesis of NaYF_4 was studied in detail. • Ethanol can facilitate the formation of H-NaYF_4 while acetic acid restrain it. • Three general principles for improving up-conversion emission were summarized.

  3. Optical transitions of Ho(3+) in oxyfluoride glasses and upconversion luminescence of Ho(3+)/Yb(3+)-codoped oxyfluoride glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Li; Wu, Yinsu

    2015-05-05

    Optical properties of Ho(3+)-doped SiO2-BaF2-ZnF2 glasses have been investigated on the basis of the Judd-Ofelt theory. Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, radiative transition probabilities, fluorescence branching ratios and radiative lifetimes have been calculated for different glass compositions. Upconversion emissions were observed in Ho(3+)/Yb(3+)-codoped SiO2-BaF2-ZnF2 glasses under 980nm excitation. The effects of composition, concentration of the doping ions, and excitation pump power on the upconversion emissions were also systematically studied. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Multi-Color Single Particle Tracking with Quantum Dots

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Eva Arnspang; Brewer, J. R.; Lagerholm, B. C.

    2012-01-01

    . multiplex single molecule sensitivity applications such as single particle tracking (SPT). In order to fully optimize single molecule multiplex application with QDs, we have in this work performed a comprehensive quantitative investigation of the fluorescence intensities, fluorescence intensity fluctuations......Quantum dots (QDs) have long promised to revolutionize fluorescence detection to include even applications requiring simultaneous multi-species detection at single molecule sensitivity. Despite the early promise, the unique optical properties of QDs have not yet been fully exploited in e. g...... further show that there is only a small size advantage in using blue-shifted QDs in biological applications because of the additional size of the water-stabilizing surface coat. Extending previous work, we finally also show that parallel four color multicolor (MC)-SPT with QDs is possible at an image...

  5. Characterization of Angle Dependent Color Travel of Printed Multi-Color Effect Pigment on Different Color Substrates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mirica Karlovits

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Color-travel pigments, which exhibit much more extensive color change as well provide angle-dependent optical effect can be used in many industrial products. In present paper the multi-color effect pigment printed on three different foils with different background color (black, silver and transparent was investigated. The pigment was based on synthetically produced transparent silicon dioxide platelets coated with titanium dioxide. CIEL*a*b* values and reflection of prints were measured by multi-angle spectrophotometer at constant illumination at an angle of 45º and different viewing angles (-15º, 15°, 25º, 45º, 75º and 110º were used. The measurements of printed multi-color pigment showed that CIEL*a*b* color coordinates varied to great extents, depending on detection angles as well on color of the printing substrate. The study revealed that pigmnet printed on black background obtained significant change in color. The study has also shown that when viewing angle increases, the reflection curves decreases.

  6. Phase transition and multicolor luminescence of Eu2+/Mn2+-activated Ca3(PO4)2 phosphors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Kai; Chen, Daqin; Xu, Ju; Zhang, Rui; Yu, Yunlong; Wang, Yuansheng

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: We have synthesized Eu 2+ doped and Eu 2+ /Mn 2+ co-doped Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 phosphors. The emitting color varies from blue to green with increasing of Eu 2+ content for the Eu 2+ -doped phosphor, and the quantum yield of the 0.05Eu 2+ : Ca 2.95 (PO 4 ) 2 sample reaches 56.7%. Interestingly, Mn 2+ co-doping into Eu 2+ : Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 leads to its phase transition from orthorhombic to rhombohedral, and subsequently generates tunable multi-color luminescence from green to red via Eu 2+ → Mn 2+ energy transfer. - Highlights: • A series of novel Eu 2+ : Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 phosphors were successfully synthesized. • Phase transition of Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 from orthorhombic to rhombohedral occurred when Mn 2+ ions were doped. • The phosphors exhibited tunable multi-color luminescence. • The quantum yield of 0.05Eu 2+ : Ca 2.95 (PO 4 ) 2 phosphor can reach 56.7%. • The analyses of phosphors were carried out by many measurements. - Abstract: Intense blue-green-emitting Eu 2+ : Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 and tunable multicolor-emitting Eu 2+ /Mn 2+ : Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 phosphors are prepared via a solid-state reaction route. Eu 2+ -doped orthorhombic Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 phosphor exhibits a broad emission band in the wavelength range of 400–700 nm with a maximum quantum yield of 56.7%, and the emission peak red-shifts gradually from 479 to 520 nm with increase of Eu 2+ doping content. Broad excitation spectrum (250–420 nm) of Eu 2+ : Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 matches well with the near-ultraviolet LED chip, indicating its potential applications as tri-color phosphors in white LEDs. Interestingly, Mn 2+ co-doping into Eu 2+ : Ca 3 (PO 4 ) 2 leads to its phase transition from orthorhombic to rhombohedral, and subsequently generates tunable multi-color luminescence from green to red via Eu 2+ → Mn 2+ energy transfer, under 365 nm UV lamp excitation

  7. Simultaneous phase and size control of upconversion nanocrystals through lanthanide doping

    KAUST Repository

    Wang, Feng

    2010-02-25

    Doping is a widely applied technological process in materials science that involves incorporating atoms or ions of appropriate elements into host lattices to yield hybrid materials with desirable properties and functions. For nanocrystalline materials, doping is of fundamental importance in stabilizing a specific crystallographic phase, modifying electronic properties, modulating magnetism as well as tuning emission properties. Here we describe a material system in which doping influences the growth process to give simultaneous control over the crystallographic phase, size and optical emission properties of the resulting nanocrystals. We show that NaYF 4 nanocrystals can be rationally tuned in size (down to ten nanometres), phase (cubic or hexagonal) and upconversion emission colour (green to blue) through use of trivalent lanthanide dopant ions introduced at precisely defined concentrations. We use first-principles calculations to confirm that the influence of lanthanide doping on crystal phase and size arises from a strong dependence on the size and dipole polarizability of the substitutional dopant ion. Our results suggest that the doping-induced structural and size transition, demonstrated here in NaYF 4 upconversion nanocrystals, could be extended to other lanthanide-doped nanocrystal systems for applications ranging from luminescent biological labels to volumetric three-dimensional displays. © 2010 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.

  8. High multi-photon visible upconversion emissions of Er{sup 3+} singly doped BiOCl microcrystals: A photon avalanche of Er{sup 3+} induced by 980 nm excitation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Yongjin; Song, Zhiguo, E-mail: songzg@kmust.edu.cn; Li, Chen; Wan, Ronghua; Qiu, Jianbei; Yang, Zhengwen; Yin, Zhaoyi; Yang, Yong; Zhou, Dacheng; Wang, Qi [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650093 (China)

    2013-12-02

    Under 980 nm excitation, high multi-photon upconversion (UC) emission from the {sup 2}H{sub 11/2}/{sup 4}S{sub 3/2} (green) and {sup 4}F{sub 9/2} (red) levels of Er{sup 3+} ions were observed from Er{sup 3+} singly doped BiOCl microcrystals. These high-energy excited states were populated by a three to ten photon UC process conditionally, which depended on the pump power density and the Er{sup 3+} ion doping concentration, characterizing as a hetero-looping enhanced energy transfer avalanche UC process. UC emission lifetime and Raman analysis suggest that the unusual UC phenomena are initiated by the new and intense phonon vibration modes of BiOCl lattices due to Er{sup 3+} ions doping.

  9. Near infrared and upconversion luminescence behaviour of Er3+/Yb3+ codoped boro-tellurite glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maheshvaran, K.; Arunkumar, S.; Vijayakumar, R.; Marimuthu, K.

    2014-04-01

    The broadband NIR and upconversion luminescence behavior in a new series of Er3+/Yb3+ codoped TeO2-B2O3-SrO-BaO-Li2O-LiF glasses have been studied exciting at a wavelength of 980 nm using semiconductor laser. A broadband emission is observed from 1450 to 1650 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) around 165 nm in 0.5wt% Yb3+ ion content E0.5YLTB glass. The radiative parameters such as transition probability (A), stimulated emission cross-section (σE), experimental and calculated branching ratios (βR), optical gain width (σp×FWHM) and radiative lifetime (τcal) have been calculated for the 4I13/2→4I15/2 NIR emission. Upconversion luminescence spectra of the prepared glasses have been studied and the ESA & ET processes have also been discussed and reported.

  10. Intense upconversion luminescence and effect of local environment for Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped novel TeO2-BiCl3 glass system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Guonian; Dai, Shixun; Zhang, Junjie; Wen, Lei; Yang, Jianhu; Jiang, Zhonghong

    2006-05-15

    We present the results of a study that uses theoretical and experimental methods to investigate the characteristics of the upconversion luminescence of Tm3+/Yb3+ codoped TeO2-BiCl3 glass system as a function of the BiCl3 fraction. These glasses are potentially important in the design of upconversion fiber lasers. Effect of local environment around Tm3+ on upconversion fluorescence intensity was analyzed by theoretical calculations. The structure and spectroscopic properties were investigated in the experiments by measuring the Raman spectra, IR transmission spectra, and absorption and fluorescence intensities at room temperature. The results indicate that blue luminescence quantum efficiency increases with increasing BiCl3 content from 10 to 60 mol%, which were interpreted by the increase of asymmetry of glass structure, decrease of phonon energy and removing of OH- groups.

  11. Computer generated multi-color graphics in whole body gamma spectral analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phillips, W.G.; Curtis, S.P.; Environmental Protection Agency, Las Vegas, NV)

    1984-01-01

    A medium resolution color graphics terminal (512 x 512 pixels) was appended to a computerized gamma spectrometer for the display of whole body counting data. The color display enhances the ability of a spectroscopist to identify at a glance multicolored spectral regions of interest immediate qualitative interpretation. Spectral data from subjects containing low concentrations of gamma emitters obtained by both NaI(T1) and phoswich detectors are viewed by the method. In addition, software generates a multispectral display by which the gross, background, and net spectra are displayed in color simultaneously on a single screen

  12. Exonuclease-assisted multicolor aptasensor for visual detection of ochratoxin A based on G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme-mediated etching of gold nanorod.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xinhui; Lin, Yaohui; Wang, Xusheng; Xu, Liangjun; Wang, Zongwen; Fu, FengFu

    2018-04-21

    An exonuclease-assisted multicolor aptasensor was developed for the visual detection of ochratoxin A (OTA). It is based on the etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs) mediated by a G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme. A DNA sequence (AG4-OTA) was designed that comprises a hemin aptamer and an OTA aptamer. OTA binds to AG4-OTA to form an antiparallel G-quadruplex, which halts its digestion by exonuclease I (Exo I) from the 3'-end of AG4-OTA. Thus, the retained hemin aptamer can bind to hemin to form a G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme. This DNAzyme has peroxidase-like activity that catalyzes the oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) by H 2 O 2 to produce its diimine derivative (TMB 2+ ) in acidic solution. TMB 2+ can etch the AuNRs by oxidizing Au(0) into Au(I). This results in the generation of rainbow-like colors and provides a multicolor platform for the visual detection of OTA. The assay is based on the use of a single isolated aptamer and possesses obvious advantages such as multi-color visual inspection, relatively high sensitivity and accuracy. It can be used to detect as little as 30 nM concentrations of OTA by visual observation and even 10 nM concentrations by spectrophotometry. The method was successfully applied to the determination of OTA in spiked beer where it gave recoveries of 101-108%, with a relative standard deviation (RSD, n = 5) of <5%. Graphical abstract Schematic of an exonuclease-assisted multicolor bioassay based on the G-quadruplex-hemin DNAzyme-mediated etching of gold nanorods (AuNRs). It enables visual detection of ochratoxin A (OTA) with a detection limit of 30 nM.

  13. High-efficiency near-infrared enabled planar perovskite solar cells by embedding upconversion nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meng, Fan-Li; Wu, Jiao-Jiao; Zhao, Er-Fei; Zheng, Yan-Zhen; Huang, Mei-Lan; Dai, Li-Ming; Tao, Xia; Chen, Jian-Feng

    2017-11-30

    Integration of the upconversion effect in perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is a facile approach towards extending the spectral absorption from the visible to the near infrared (NIR) range and reducing the non-absorption loss of solar photons. However, the big challenge for practical application of UCNCs in planar PSCs is the poor compatibility between UCNCs and the perovskite precursor. Herein, we have subtly overcome the tough compatibility issue using a ligand-exchange strategy. For the first time, β-NaYF 4 :Yb,Er UCNCs have been embedded in situ into a CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 layer to fabricate NIR-enabled planar PSCs. The CH 3 NH 3 I-capped UCNCs generated from the ligand-exchange were mixed with the perovskite precursor and served as nucleation sites for the UCNC-mediated heteroepitaxial growth of perovskite; moreover, the in situ embedding of UCNCs into the perovskite layer was realized during a spin-coating process. The resulting UCNC-embedded perovskite layer attained a uniform pinhole-free morphology with enlarged crystal grains and enabled NIR absorption. It also contributed to the energy transfer from the UCNCs to the perovskite and electron transport to the collecting electrode surface. The device fabricated using the UCNC-embedded perovskite film achieved an average power-conversion efficiency of 18.60% (19.70% for the best) under AM 1.5G and 0.37% under 980 nm laser, corresponding to 54% and 740-fold increase as compared to that of its counterpart without UCNCs.

  14. Analyses of multi-color plant-growth light sources in achieving maximum photosynthesis efficiencies with enhanced color qualities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Tingzhu; Lin, Yue; Zheng, Lili; Guo, Ziquan; Xu, Jianxing; Liang, Shijie; Liu, Zhuguagn; Lu, Yijun; Shih, Tien-Mo; Chen, Zhong

    2018-02-19

    An optimal design of light-emitting diode (LED) lighting that benefits both the photosynthesis performance for plants and the visional health for human eyes has drawn considerable attention. In the present study, we have developed a multi-color driving algorithm that serves as a liaison between desired spectral power distributions and pulse-width-modulation duty cycles. With the aid of this algorithm, our multi-color plant-growth light sources can optimize correlated-color temperature (CCT) and color rendering index (CRI) such that photosynthetic luminous efficacy of radiation (PLER) is maximized regardless of the number of LEDs and the type of photosynthetic action spectrum (PAS). In order to illustrate the accuracies of the proposed algorithm and the practicalities of our plant-growth light sources, we choose six color LEDs and German PAS for experiments. Finally, our study can help provide a useful guide to improve light qualities in plant factories, in which long-term co-inhabitance of plants and human beings is required.

  15. Multi-color lightcurve observation of the asteroid (163249) 2002 GT

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oshima, M.; Abe, S.

    2014-07-01

    NASA's Deep Impact/EPOXI spacecraft plans to encounter the asteroid (163249) 2002 GT, classified as a PHA (Potentially Hazardous Asteroid), on January 4, 2020. However, the taxonomic type and spin state of 2002 GT remain to be determined. We have carried out ground-based multi-color (B-V-R-I) lightcurve observations taking advantage of the 2002 GT Characterization Campaign by NASA. Multi-color lightcurve measurements allow us to estimate the rotation period and obtain strong constraints on the shape and pole orientation. Here we found that the rotation period of 2002 GT is estimated to be 3.7248 ± 0.1664 h. In mid-2013, 2002 GT passed at 0.015 au from the Earth, resulting an exceptional opportunity for ground-based characterization. Using the 0.81-m telescope of the Tenagra Observatory (110°52'44.8''W, +31°27'44.4''N, 1312 m) in Arizona, USA, and the Johnson-Cousins BVRI filters, we have found lightcurves of 2002 GT (Figure). The Tenagra II 0.81-m telescope is used for research of the Hayabusa2 target Asteroid (162173) 1999 JU_3. The lightcurves (relative magnitude) show that the rotation period of 2002 GT, the target of NASA's Deep Impact/EPOXI spacecraft, is estimated to be 3.7248 ± 0.1664 hr. On June 9, 2013, we had 7 hours of ground-based observations on 2002 GT from 4:00 to 11:00 UTC. The number of comparison stars for differential photometry was 34. Because of tracking the fast-moving asteroid, it was necessary to have the same comparison star among the fields of vision. We have also obtained absolute photometry of 2002 GT on June 13, 2013.

  16. Utilization of visible to NIR light energy by Yb{sup +3}, Er{sup +3} and Tm{sup +3} doped BiVO{sub 4} for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Regmi, Chhabilal [Research Center for Eco-Multifunctional Nanomaterials, Sun Moon University, Chungnam 31460 (Korea, Republic of); Kshetri, Yuwaraj K. [Department of Advanced Materials Engineering, Sun Moon University, Chungnam 31460 (Korea, Republic of); Ray, Schindra Kumar [Research Center for Eco-Multifunctional Nanomaterials, Sun Moon University, Chungnam 31460 (Korea, Republic of); Pandey, Ramesh Prasad [Institute of Biomolecule Reconstruction, Department of BT-Convergent Pharmaceutical Engineering, Sun Moon University, Chungnam 31460 (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Soo Wohn, E-mail: swlee@sunmoon.ac.kr [Research Center for Eco-Multifunctional Nanomaterials, Sun Moon University, Chungnam 31460 (Korea, Republic of)

    2017-01-15

    Highlights: • Lanthanide doped BiVO{sub 4} as highly efficient upconversion and photocatalytic material. • Well defined beads like morphology for better photocatalytic activity. • Effective utilization of NIR and visible light for efficient photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue. • Nontoxic to human cells, potential for application in biological fields. - Abstract: Lanthanide-doped BiVO{sub 4} semiconductors with efficient photocatalytic activities over a broad range of the solar light spectrum have been synthesized by the microwave hydrothermal method using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The structural, morphological, and optical properties of the as-synthesized samples were evaluated by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, FT-IR spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL). The chemical compositions were analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The toxicity of the samples was measured using Mus musculus skin melanoma cells (B16-F10 (ATCC{sup ®} CRL-6475™)) and were found to be nontoxic for human cells. The photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared samples was evaluated by methylene blue (MB) degradation. The best photocatalytic activity was shown by BiVO{sub 4} with 6:3:3 mol percentage of Yb{sup +3}:Er{sup +3}:Tm{sup +3} in all solar light spectrum. The synthesized samples possess low band gap energy and a hollow structure suitable for the better photocatalytic activity. The observed NIR photoactivity supports that the upconversion mechanism is involved in the overall photocatalytic process. Therefore, this approach provides a better alternative upconversion material for integral solar light absorption.

  17. Topology optimized gold nanostrips for enhanced near-infrared photon upconversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vester-Petersen, Joakim; Christiansen, Rasmus Ellebæk; Julsgaard, Brian

    2017-01-01

    This letter presents a topology optimization study of metal nanostructures optimized for electric-field enhancement in the infrared spectrum. Coupling of such nanostructures with suitable ions allows for an increased photon-upconversion yield, with one application being an increased solar-cell...... efficiency by exploiting the long-wavelength part of the solar spectrum. In this work, topology optimization is used to design a periodic array of two-dimensional gold nanostrips for electric-field enhancements in a thin film doped with upconverting erbium ions. The infrared absorption band of erbium...

  18. High-Order Model and Dynamic Filtering for Frame Rate Up-Conversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bao, Wenbo; Zhang, Xiaoyun; Chen, Li; Ding, Lianghui; Gao, Zhiyong

    2018-08-01

    This paper proposes a novel frame rate up-conversion method through high-order model and dynamic filtering (HOMDF) for video pixels. Unlike the constant brightness and linear motion assumptions in traditional methods, the intensity and position of the video pixels are both modeled with high-order polynomials in terms of time. Then, the key problem of our method is to estimate the polynomial coefficients that represent the pixel's intensity variation, velocity, and acceleration. We propose to solve it with two energy objectives: one minimizes the auto-regressive prediction error of intensity variation by its past samples, and the other minimizes video frame's reconstruction error along the motion trajectory. To efficiently address the optimization problem for these coefficients, we propose the dynamic filtering solution inspired by video's temporal coherence. The optimal estimation of these coefficients is reformulated into a dynamic fusion of the prior estimate from pixel's temporal predecessor and the maximum likelihood estimate from current new observation. Finally, frame rate up-conversion is implemented using motion-compensated interpolation by pixel-wise intensity variation and motion trajectory. Benefited from the advanced model and dynamic filtering, the interpolated frame has much better visual quality. Extensive experiments on the natural and synthesized videos demonstrate the superiority of HOMDF over the state-of-the-art methods in both subjective and objective comparisons.

  19. Defect-mediated photoluminescence up-conversion in cadmium sulfide nanobelts (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morozov, Yurii; Kuno, Masaru K.

    2017-02-01

    The concept of optical cooling of solids has existed for nearly 90 years ever since Pringsheim proposed a way to cool solids through the annihilation of phonons via phonon-assisted photoluminescence (PL) up-conversion. In this process, energy is removed from the solid by the emission of photons with energies larger than those of incident photons. However, actually realizing optical cooling requires exacting parameters from the condensed phase medium such as near unity external quantum efficiencies as well as existence of a low background absorption. Until recently, laser cooling has only been successfully realized in rare earth doped solids. In semiconductors, optical cooling has very recently been demonstrated in cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanobelts as well as in hybrid lead halide perovskites. For the former, large internal quantum efficiencies, sub-wavelength thicknesses, which decrease light trapping, and low background absorption, all make near unity external quantum yields possible. Net cooling by as much as 40 K has therefore been possible with CdS nanobelts. In this study, we describe a detailed investigation of the nature of efficient anti-Stokes photoluminescence (ASPL) in CdS nanobelts. Temperature-dependent PL up-conversion and optical absorption studies on individual NBs together with frequency-dependent up-converted PL intensity spectroscopies suggest that ASPL in CdS nanobelts is defect-mediated through involvement of defect levels below the band gap.

  20. Experimental verification of the imposing principle for maximum permissible levels of multicolor laser radiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivashin V.A.

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Aims. The study presents the results of experimental research to verify the principle overlay for maximum permissible levels (MPL of multicolor laser radiation single exposure on eyes. This principle of the independence of the effects of radiation with each wavelength (the imposing principle, was founded and generalized to a wide range of exposure conditions. Experimental verification of this approach in relation to the impact of laser radiation on tissue fundus of an eye, as shows the analysis of the literature was not carried out. Material and methods. Was used in the experimental laser generating radiation with wavelengths: Л1 =0,532 microns, A2=0,556to 0,562 microns and A3=0,619to 0,621 urn. Experiments were carried out on eyes of rabbits with evenly pigmented eye bottom. Results. At comparison of results of processing of the experimental data with the calculated data it is shown that these levels are close by their parameters. Conclusions. For the first time in the Russian Federation had been performed experimental studies on the validity of multi-colored laser radiation on the organ of vision. In view of the objective coincidence of the experimental data with the calculated data, we can conclude that the mathematical formulas work.

  1. Tunable green/red luminescence by infrared upconversion in biocompatible forsterite nanoparticles with high erbium doping uptake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zampiva, Rúbia Young Sun; Acauan, Luiz Henrique; Venturini, Janio; Garcia, Jose Augusto Martins; da Silva, Diego Silverio; Han, Zhaohong; Kassab, Luciana Reyes Pires; Wetter, Niklaus Ursus; Agarwal, Anuradha; Alves, Annelise Kopp; Bergmann, Carlos Pérez

    2018-02-01

    Nanoparticles represent a promising platform for diagnostics and therapy of human diseases. For biomedical applications, these nanoparticles are usually coated with photosensitizers regularly activated in a spectral window of 530-700 nm. The emissions at 530 nm (green) and 660 nm (red) are of particular interest for imaging and photodynamic therapy, respectively. This work presents the Mg2SiO4:Er3+ system, produced by reverse strike co-precipitation, with up to 10% dopant and no secondary phase formation. These nanoparticles when excited at 985 nm show upconversion emission with peaks around 530 and 660 nm, although excitation at 808 nm leads to only a single emission peak at around 530 nm. The direct upconversion of this biomaterial without a co-dopant, and its tunability by the excitation source, renders Mg2SiO4:Er3+ nanoparticles a promising system for biomedical applications.

  2. NIR upconversion emission of Tm{sup 3+} doped glassceramics for solar cells applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodríguez-Mendoza, U.R., E-mail: urguez@ull.edu.es [Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain); Instituto Universitario de Materiales y Nanotecnología, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain); Lahoz, F. [Departamento de Física, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain); Instituto Universitario de Estudios Avanzados en Atómica, Molecular y Fotónica, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Spain)

    2016-11-15

    The Tm{sup 3+} 800 nm upconversion emission corresponding to the {sup 3}H{sub 4}→{sup 3}H{sub 6} transition has been obtained upon infrared sub-Si bandgap excitation at 1210 nm in Tm{sup 3+} doped transparent glasses and glass ceramics with composition SiO{sub 2}–Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}–CdF{sub 2}–PbF{sub 2}–YF{sub 3}. Possible energy transfer mechanisms have been carefully studied through different experimental measurements such as the excitation spectrum, decay rate of the emission and laser pump power versus integrated emission. The results suggest that energy transfer upconversion (ETU) mechanism is responsible for the emission. It is based on the following process: Tm{sup 3+}({sup 3}F{sub 4})+Tm{sup 3+}({sup 3}F{sub 4})→Tm{sup 3+}({sup 3}H{sub 6})+Tm{sup 3+}({sup 3}H{sub 4}). The upconverted emission is about three times more intense in the glass ceramic samples than in the precursor glasses. This emission can be used to enhance the performances in crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells.

  3. Luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) aptasensor for ochratoxin A detection using upconversion nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jo, Eun-Jung; Byun, Ju-Young; Mun, Hyoyoung; Kim, Min-Gon

    2017-07-01

    We report an aptasensor for homogeneous ochratoxin A (OTA) detection based on luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET). This system uses upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), such as NaYF4:Yb3+, Er 3+, as the donor. The aptamer includes the optimum-length linker (5-mer-length DNA) and OTA-specific aptamer sequences. Black hole quencher 1 (BHQ1), as the acceptor, was modified at the 3' end of the aptamer sequence. BHQ1 plays as a quencher in LRET aptasensor and shows absorption at 543 nm, which overlaps with well the emission of the UCNPs. When OTA is added, the BHQ1-labeled OTA aptamer was folded due to the formation of the G-quadruplex-OTA complex, which induced the BHQ1 close to the UCNPs. Consequently, resonance energy transfer between UCNPs (donor) and BHQ1 (acceptor) enables quenching of upconversion luminescence signals under laser irradiation of 980 nm. Our results showed that the LRET-based aptasensor allows specific OTA analysis with a limit of detection of 0.03 ng/mL. These results demonstrated that the OTA in diverse foods can be detected specifically and sensitively in a homogeneous manner.

  4. Visible-Light Upconversion Carbon Quantum Dots Decorated TiO2 for the Photodegradation of Flowing Gaseous Acetaldehyde

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Yidan; Xie, Xiaofeng; Wang, Xiao; Wang, Yan; Zeng, Yi; Pui, David Y. H.; Sun, Jing

    2018-05-01

    Carbon-modified photocatalyst has attracted extensive attentions in the field of gaseous pollutant removal, mainly due to the improved adsorption properties and electronic transport of carbon matrix, such as carbon nanotubes, graphene, and fullerene, etc. In this work, carbon quantum dots (CQDs) were employed to enhance the photocatalytic performance of TiO2-based composites for flowing gaseous acetaldehyde removal. Besides the aforementioned advantages of carbon materials, the unique up-converted photoluminescence property of CQDs is capable of extending the optical absorption to visible-light range. Moreover, the electron spin resonance (ESR) results firstly verified a stable existence of Ti3+ defect in the CQDs/TiO2 composite, which is possibly induced by the electron migration from CQDs to TiO2. And the formed Ti3+ donor energy level in the band gap could further help with the visible-light harvesting. During the photodegradation experiments, with two-hour continuous flowing gaseous acetaldehyde injection (500 ppm, 20 sccm), the CQDs/TiO2 composite remained 99% removal efficiency under fluorescent lamp irradiation (λ > 380 nm). The optimized CQDs content was obtained as 3 wt%, and the underlying mechanism was further analyzed by temperature programmed desorption (TPD) methods. This work will push forward the air purification researches by providing new insights of CQDs sensitized photocatalyst.

  5. An experimentally validated model for geometrically nonlinear plucking-based frequency up-conversion in energy harvesting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kathpalia, B.; Tan, D.; Stern, I.; Erturk, A.

    2018-01-01

    It is well known that plucking-based frequency up-conversion can enhance the power output in piezoelectric energy harvesting by enabling cyclic free vibration at the fundamental bending mode of the harvester even for very low excitation frequencies. In this work, we present a geometrically nonlinear plucking-based framework for frequency up-conversion in piezoelectric energy harvesting under quasistatic excitations associated with low-frequency stimuli such as walking and similar rigid body motions. Axial shortening of the plectrum is essential to enable plucking excitation, which requires a nonlinear framework relating the plectrum parameters (e.g. overlap length between the plectrum and harvester) to the overall electrical power output. Von Kármán-type geometrically nonlinear deformation of the flexible plectrum cantilever is employed to relate the overlap length between the flexible (nonlinear) plectrum and the stiff (linear) harvester to the transverse quasistatic tip displacement of the plectrum, and thereby the tip load on the linear harvester in each plucking cycle. By combining the nonlinear plectrum mechanics and linear harvester dynamics with two-way electromechanical coupling, the electrical power output is obtained directly in terms of the overlap length. Experimental case studies and validations are presented for various overlap lengths and a set of electrical load resistance values. Further analysis results are reported regarding the combined effects of plectrum thickness and overlap length on the plucking force and harvested power output. The experimentally validated nonlinear plectrum-linear harvester framework proposed herein can be employed to design and optimize frequency up-conversion by properly choosing the plectrum parameters (geometry, material, overlap length, etc) as well as the harvester parameters.

  6. Additives and solvents-induced phase and morphology modification of NaYF{sub 4} for improving up-conversion emission

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhuang, Jianle, E-mail: zhuangjianle@126.com [Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Optical Agriculture, College of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Yang, Xianfeng; Wang, Jing [MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China); Lei, Bingfu; Liu, Yingliang [Guangdong Provincial Engineering Technology Research Center for Optical Agriculture, College of Materials and Energy, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642 (China); Wu, Mingmei, E-mail: ceswmm@mail.sysu.edu.cn [MOE Key Laboratory of Bioinorganic and Synthetic Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China)

    2016-01-15

    Both cubic and hexagonal NaYF{sub 4} were synthesized in different reaction systems via hydro/solvo-thermal route. The effects of reaction temperature, solvents, and additives on the synthesis of NaYF{sub 4} have been studied in detail. It has been shown that phase transformation from cubic NaYF{sub 4} to hexagonal NaYF{sub 4} always occurred. The sequence of the ability for inducing the phase transformation was ethanol>H{sub 2}O>acetic acid. It is found that ethanol can not only facilitate the formation of hexagonal NaYF{sub 4} but also control the growth of the crystal. This is quite unusual for the growth of H-NaYF{sub 4}. The up-conversion emission properties of Yb/Er co-doped NaYF{sub 4} have also been investigated and the results demonstrated some general principles for improving up-conversion emission. - Graphical abstract: Additives and solvents can induce the phase transformation of NaYF{sub 4}, typically the use of organic sodium salt and ethanol. - Highlights: • The effect of additives and solvents on the synthesis of NaYF{sub 4} was studied in detail. • Ethanol can facilitate the formation of H-NaYF{sub 4} while acetic acid restrain it. • Three general principles for improving up-conversion emission were summarized.

  7. A pre-protective strategy for precise tumor targeting and efficient photodynamic therapy with a switchable DNA/upconversion nanocomposite.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Zhengze; Ge, Yegang; Sun, Qiaoqiao; Pan, Wei; Wan, Xiuyan; Li, Na; Tang, Bo

    2018-04-14

    Tumor-specific targeting based on folic acid (FA) is one of the most common and significant approaches in cancer therapy. However, the expression of folate receptors (FRs) in normal tissues will lead to unexpected targeting and unsatisfactory therapeutic effect. To address this issue, we develop a pre-protective strategy for precise tumor targeting and efficient photodynamic therapy (PDT) using a switchable DNA/upconversion nanocomposite, which can be triggered in the acidic tumor microenvironment. The DNA/upconversion nanocomposite is composed of polyacrylic acid (PAA) coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), the surface of which is modified using FA and chlorin e6 (Ce6) functionalized DNA sequences with different lengths. Initially, FA on the shorter DNA was protected by a longer DNA to prevent the bonding to FRs on normal cells. Once reaching the acidic tumor microenvironment, C base-rich longer DNA forms a C-quadruplex, resulting in the exposure of the FA groups and the bonding of FA and FRs on cancer cell membranes to achieve precise targeting. Simultaneously, the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) gets close to the surface of UCNPs, enabling the excitation of Ce6 to generate singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) under near infrared light via Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET). In vivo experiments indicated that higher tumor targeting efficiency was achieved and the tumor growth was greatly inhibited through the pre-protective strategy.

  8. The effect of micro-structure on upconversion luminescence of Nd3+/Yb3+ co-doped La2O3-TiO2-ZrO2 glass-ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Minghui; Wen, Haiqin; Pan, Xiuhong; Yu, Jianding; Jiang, Meng; Yu, Huimei; Tang, Meibo; Gai, Lijun; Ai, Fei

    2018-03-01

    Nd3+/Yb3+ co-doped La2O3-TiO2-ZrO2 glasses have been prepared by aerodynamic levitation method. The glasses show high refractive index of 2.28 and Abbe number of 18.3. Glass-ceramics heated at 880 °C for 50 min perform the strongest upconversion luminescence. X-ray diffraction patterns of glass-ceramics with different depths indicate that rare earth ions restrain crystallization. Body crystallization mechanism mixed with surface crystallization is confirmed in the heat treatment. Surface crystals achieve priority to grow, resulting in important effects on upconversion luminescence. The results of atomic force microscope and scanning electron microscope indicate that crystal particles with uniform size distribute densely and homogenously on the surface and large amount of glass matrix exists in the glass ceramics heated at 880 °C for 50 min. Crystals in the glass-ceramics present dense structure and strong boundaries, which can reduce the mutual nonradiative relaxation rate among rare earth ions and then improve upconversion luminescence effectively. Based on micro-structural study, the mechanism that upconversion luminescence can be improved by heat treatment has been revealed. The results of micro-structural analysis agree well with the spectra.

  9. The upconversion luminescence and magnetism in Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+} co-doped LaF{sub 3} nanocrystals for potential bimodal imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Syamchand, Sasidharanpillai S., E-mail: syamchand.ss@gmail.com; George, Sony, E-mail: emailtosony@gmail.com [University of Kerala, Department of Chemistry (India)

    2016-12-15

    Biocompatible upconversion nanoparticles with multifunctional properties can serve as potential nanoprobes for multimodal imaging. Herein, we report an upconversion nanocrystal based on lanthanum fluoride which is developed to address the imaging modalities, upconversion luminescence imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Lanthanide ions (Yb{sup 3+} and Ho{sup 3+}) doped LaF{sub 3} nanocrystals (LaF{sub 3} Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+}) are fabricated through a rapid microwave-assisted synthesis. The hexagonal phase LaF{sub 3} nanocrystals exhibit nearly spherical morphology with average diameter of 9.8 nm. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis estimated the doping concentration of Yb{sup 3+} and Ho{sup 3+} as 3.99 and 0.41%, respectively. The nanocrystals show upconversion luminescence when irradiated with near-infrared (NIR) photons of wavelength 980 nm. The emission spectrum consists of bands centred at 542, 645 and 658 nm. The stronger green emission at 542 nm and the weak red emissions at 645 and 658 nm are assigned to {sup 5}S{sub 2} → {sup 5}I{sub 8} and {sup 5}F{sub 5} → {sup 5}I{sub 8} transitions of Ho{sup 3+}, respectively. The pump power dependence of luminescence intensity confirmed the two-photon upconversion process. The nanocrystals exhibit paramagnetism due to the presence of lanthanide ion dopant Ho{sup 3+} and the magnetization is 19.81 emu/g at room temperature. The nanocrystals exhibit a longitudinal relaxivity (r{sub 1}) of 0.12 s{sup −1} mM{sup −1} and transverse relaxivity (r{sub 2}) of 28.18 s{sup −1} mM{sup −1}, which makes the system suitable for developing T2 MRI contrast agents based on holmium. The LaF{sub 3} Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+} nanocrystals are surface modified by PEGylation to improve biocompatibility and enhance further functionalisation. The PEGylated nanocrystals are found to be non-toxic up to 50 μg/mL for 48 h of incubation, which is confirmed by the MTT assay as well as

  10. NIR-induced highly sensitive detection of latent finger-marks by NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanoparticles in a dry powder state

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Meng; Li, Ming; Yang, Mingying; Zhang, Xiaomei; Yu, Aoyang; Zhu, Ye; Qiu, Penghe; Mao, Chuanbin

    2016-01-01

    The most commonly found fingermarks at crime scenes are latent and, thus, an efficient method for detecting latent fingermarks is very important. However, traditional developing techniques have drawbacks such as low detection sensitivity, high background interference, complicated operation, and high toxicity. To tackle this challenge, we employed fluorescent NaYF4:Yb,Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), which can fluoresce visible light when excited by 980 nm human-safe near-infrared light, to stain the latent fingermarks on various substrate surfaces. The UCNPs were successfully used as a novel fluorescent label for the detection of latent fingermarks with high sensitivity, low background, high efficiency, and low toxicity on various substrates including non-infiltrating materials (glass, marble, aluminum alloy sheets, stainless steel sheets, aluminum foils, and plastic cards), semi-infiltrating materials (floor leathers, ceramic tiles, wood floor, and painted wood), and infiltrating materials such as various types of papers. This work shows that UCNPs are a versatile fluorescent label for the facile detection of fingermarks on virtually any material, enabling their practical applications in forensic sciences. PMID:27818741

  11. Use of Multicolor Flow Cytometry for Isolation of Specific Cell Populations Deriving from Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mengarelli, Isabella; Fryga, Andrew; Barberi, Tiziano

    2016-01-01

    Flow Cytometry-Sorting (FCM-Sorting) is a technique commonly used to identify and isolate specific types of cells from a heterogeneous population of live cells. Here we describe a multicolor flow cytometry technique that uses five distinct cell surface antigens to isolate four live populations with

  12. Upconversion mechanisms of Er{sup 3+}:NaYF{sub 4} and thermal effects induced by incident photon on the green luminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Ran; Zhang, Xinlu; Liu, Feng; Xiao, Luying [Key Lab of In-fiber Integrated Optics, Ministry Education of China, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); School of Science, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); Chen, Yujin [Key Lab of In-fiber Integrated Optics, Ministry Education of China, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); School of Science, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); Liu, Lu, E-mail: liulu@hrbeu.edu.cn [Key Lab of In-fiber Integrated Optics, Ministry Education of China, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); School of Science, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China); College of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001 (China)

    2016-07-15

    Wide range concentrations of Er{sup 3+} doped NaYF{sub 4} nanocrystals are synthesized. Upconversion mechanisms are discussed under 976 nm NIR laser excitation on the basis of the fluorescence spectra and lifetimes data of Er{sup 3+}. It is found that the heat induced by incident laser results in an evident increase of the slope of emission from {sup 2}H{sub 11/2} energy level in the pump power dependence. Emission color of samples is investigated and stable chromaticity under different pump power from low and heavy doping samples are found. In addition, upconversion mechanisms are also investigated under 966 nm excitation.

  13. Non-Enzymatic-Browning-Reaction: A Versatile Route for Production of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Dots with Tunable Multicolor Luminescent Display

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Weili; Xu, Can; Wu, Li; Wang, Jiasi; Ren, Jinsong; Qu, Xiaogang

    2014-01-01

    The non-enzymatic browning, namely Maillard reaction is commonly invoked to account for abiotic chemical transformations of organic matter. Here we report a new reaction pathway via the Maillard reaction to systematically synthesize a series of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (C-dots) with superhigh quantum yield (QY) and tunable multicolor luminescent displayment. The starting materials are glucose and the serial amino acid analogues which allow systemically controlling luminescent and physicochemical properties of C-dots at will. Unexpectedly, the as-prepared C-dots possess bright photoluminescence with QY up to 69.1% which is almost the highest ever reported, favorable biocompatibility, excellent aqueous and nonaqueous dispersibility, ultrahigh photostability, and readily functionalization. We have demonstrated that they are particularly suitable for multicolor luminescent display and long-term and real-time cellular imaging. Furthermore, the methodology is readily scalable to large yield, and can provide sufficient amount of C-dots for practical demands.

  14. Up-conversion luminescence and local heating in Er{sup 3+} doped tellurite glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dwivedi, Y.; Rai, S.B. [Banaras Hindu University, Laser and Spectroscopy Laboratory, Physics Department, Varanasi, UP (India)

    2012-10-15

    The present article discusses the up-conversion and thermometric properties of Er doped tellurite glass on excitation with 976 nm laser radiation. Temperature has been measured using fluorescence intensity ratio variation, in 528/548 and 801/828 nm, with temperature. Temperature at laser focus spot has been estimated by comparing the intensity ratios at different laser powers with the intensity ratio at different temperatures when sample was heated externally. (orig.)

  15. A comprehensive phononics of phonon assisted energy transfer in the Yb3+ aided upconversion luminescence of Tm3+ and Ho3+ in solids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Debnath, Radhaballabh; Bose, Saptasree

    2015-01-01

    The theory of phonon assisted energy transfer is being widely used to explain the Yb 3+ ion aided normal and upconversion emission of various rare earth ions in different Yb 3+ co-doped solids. The reported phonon dynamics in many of these studies are either incomplete or erroneous. Here we report Yb 3+ aided upconversion luminescence properties of Tm 3+ and Ho 3+ in (Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ ) and (Yb 3+ /Ho 3+ ) co-doped two BaO–tellurite glasses and explain their phononics in the light of Dexter's theory by proposing a comprehensive scheme. The approach is valid for other systems of different phonon structures. - Highlights: • Yb 3+ aided upconversion luminescence properties of Tm 3+ and Ho 3+ in (Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ ) and (Yb 3+ /Ho 3+ ) co-doped two BaO–tellurite glasses, are reported. • Phonon assisted energy transfer in these systems are explained in the light of Dexter's theory by proposing a comprehensive scheme of phononics. • The approach is valid for other systems of different phonon structures

  16. Synthesis of Er(III)/Yb(III)-doped BiF3 upconversion nanoparticles for use in optical thermometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Du, Peng; Yu, Jae Su

    2018-03-23

    The authors describe an ethylene glycol assisted precipitation method for synthesis of Er(III)/Yb(III)-doped BiF 3 nanoparticles (NPs) at room temperature. Under 980-nm light irradiation, the NPs emit upconversion (UC) emission of Er(III) ions as a result of a two-photon absorption process. The temperature-dependent green emissions (peaking at 525 and 545 nm) are used to establish an unambiguous relationship between the ratio of fluorescence intensities and temperature. The NPs have a maximum sensitivity of 6.5 × 10 -3  K -1 at 619 K and can be applied over the 291-691 K temperature range. The results indicate that these NPs are a promising candidate for optical thermometry. Graphical abstract Schematic of the room-temperature preparation of Er(III)/Yb(III)-doped BiF 3 nanoparticles with strongly temperature-dependent upconversion emission.

  17. Application of upconversion luminescent-magnetic microbeads with weak background noise and facile separation in ochratoxin A detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liao, Zhenyu; Zhang, Ying; Su, Lin; Chang, Jin; Wang, Hanjie

    2017-01-01

    Ochratoxin A (OTA), the most harmful and abundant ochratoxin, is chemically stable and commonly existed in foodstuffs. In this work, upconversion luminescent-magnetic microbeads (UCLMMs) -based cytometric bead array for OTA detection with a less reagent consumption and high sensitivity has been established and optimized. In UCLMMs, upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs) for optical code present a weak background noise and no spectral cross talk between the encoding signals and target labels under two excitation conditions to improve detection sensitivity. While the superparamagnetic Fe_3O_4 nanoparticles (Fe_3O_4 NPs) aim for rapid analysis. The results show that the developed method has a sensitivity of 9.553 ppt below HPLC with a 50-μL sample and can be completed in <2 h with good accuracy and high reproducibility. Therefore, different colors of UCLMMs will become a promising assay platform for multiple mycotoxins after further improvement.

  18. Aqueous phase synthesis of upconversion nanocrystals through layer-by-layer epitaxial growth for in vivo X-ray computed tomography

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Feifei

    2013-05-21

    Lanthanide-doped core-shell upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) have tremendous potential for applications in many fields, especially in bio-imaging and medical therapy. As core-shell UCNCs are mostly synthesized in organic solvents, tedious organic-aqueous phase transfer processes are usually needed for their use in bio-applications. Herein, we demonstrate the first example of one-step synthesis of highly luminescent core-shell UCNCs in the "aqueous" phase under mild conditions using innocuous reagents. A microwave-assisted approach allowed for layer-by-layer epitaxial growth of a hydrophilic NaGdF4 shell on NaYF4:Yb, Er cores. During this process, surface defects of the nanocrystals could be gradually passivated by the homogeneous shell deposition, resulting in obvious enhancement in the overall upconversion emission efficiency. In addition, the up-down conversion dual-mode luminescent NaYF4:Yb, Er@NaGdF4:Ce, Ln (Eu, Tb, Sm, Dy) nanocrystals were also synthesized to further validate the successful formation of the core-shell structure. More significantly, based on their superior solubility and stability in water solution, high upconversion efficiency and Gd-doped predominant X-ray absorption, the as-prepared NaYF4:Yb, Er@NaGdF4 core-shell UCNCs exhibited high contrast in in vitro cell imaging and in vivo X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging, demonstrating great potential as multiplexed luminescent biolabels and CT contrast agents.

  19. Upconversion luminescence and blackbody radiation in tetragonal YSZ co-doped with Tm(3+) and Yb(3+).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soares, M R N; Ferro, M; Costa, F M; Monteiro, T

    2015-12-21

    Lanthanide doped inorganic nanoparticles with upconversion luminescence are of utmost importance for biomedical applications, solid state lighting and photovoltaics. In this work we studied the downshifted luminescence, upconversion luminescence (UCL) and blackbody radiation of tetragonal yttrium stabilized zirconia co-doped with Tm(3+) and Yb(3+) single crystals and nanoparticles produced by laser floating zone and laser ablation in liquids, respectively. The photoluminescence (PL) and PL excitation (PLE) were investigated at room temperature (RT). PL spectra exhibit the characteristic lines in UV, blue/green, red and NIR regions of the Tm(3+) (4f(12)) under resonant excitation into the high energy (2S+1)LJ multiplets. Under NIR excitation (980 nm), the samples placed in air display an intense NIR at ∼800 nm due to the (1)G4→(3)H5/(3)H4→(3)H6 transitions. Additionally, red, blue/green and ultraviolet UCL is observed arising from higher excited (1)G4 and (1)D2 multiplets. The power excitation dependence of the UCL intensity indicated that 2-3 low energy absorbed photons are involved in the UCL for low power levels, while for high powers, the identified saturation is dependent on the material size with a enhanced effect on the NPs. The temperature dependence of the UCL was investigated for single crystals and targets used in the ablation. An overall increase of the integrated intensity was found to occur between 12 K and the RT. The thermally activated process is described by activation energies of 10 meV and 30 meV for single crystals and targets, respectively. For the NPs, the UCL was found to be strongly sensitive to pressure conditions. Under vacuum conditions, instead of the narrow lines of the Tm(3+), a wide blackbody radiation was detected, responsible for the change in the emission colour from blue to orange. This phenomenon is totally reversible when the NPs are placed at ambient pressure. The UCL/blackbody radiation in the nanosized material exhibits

  20. Cooperative upconversion as the gain-limiting factor in Er doped miniature Al2O3 optical waveguide amplifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kik, P.G.; Polman, A.

    2003-01-01

    Erbium doped Al 2 O 3 waveguide amplifiers were fabricated using two different doping methods, namely Er ion implantation into sputter deposited Al 2 O 3 , and co-sputtering from an Er 2 O 3 /Al 2 O 3 target. Although the Er concentration in both materials is almost identical (0.28 and 0.31 at. %), the amplifiers show a completely different behavior. Upon pumping with 1.48 μm, the co-sputtered waveguide shows a strong green luminescence from the 4 S 3/2 level, indicating efficient cooperative upconversion in this material. This is confirmed by pump power dependent measurements of the optical transmission at 1.53 μm and the spontaneous emission at 1.53 and 0.98 μm. All measurements can be accurately modeled using a set of rate equations that include first order and second order cooperative upconversion. The first order cooperative upconversion coefficient C 24 is found to be 3.5x10 -16 cm 3 s -1 in the co-sputtered material, two orders of magnitude higher than the value obtained in Er implanted Al 2 O 3 of 4.1x10 -18 cm 3 s -1 . It is concluded that the co-sputtering process results in a strongly inhomogeneous atomic scale spatial distribution of the Er ions. As a result, the co-sputtered waveguides do not show optical gain, while the implanted waveguides do

  1. Red-light-controllable liquid-crystal soft actuators via low-power excited upconversion based on triplet-triplet annihilation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Zhen; Xu, Ming; Li, Fuyou; Yu, Yanlei

    2013-11-06

    A red-light-controllable soft actuator has been achieved, driven by low-power excited triplet-triplet annihilation-based upconversion luminescence (TTA-UCL). First, a red-to-blue TTA-based upconversion system with a high absolute quantum yield of 9.3 ± 0.5% was prepared by utilizing platinum(II) tetraphenyltetrabenzoporphyrin (PtTPBP) as the sensitizer and 9,10-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)anthracene (BDPPA) as the annihilator. In order to be employed as a highly effective phototrigger of photodeformable cross-linked liquid-crystal polymers (CLCPs), the PtTPBP&BDPPA system was incorporated into a rubbery polyurethane film and then assembled with an azotolane-containing CLCP film. The generating assembly film bent toward the light source when irradiated with a 635 nm laser at low power density of 200 mW cm(-2) because the TTA-UCL was effectively utilized by the azotolane moieties in the CLCP film, inducing their trans-cis photoisomerization and an alignment change of the mesogens via an emission-reabsorption process. It is the first example of a soft actuator in which the TTA-UCL is trapped and utilized to create photomechanical effect. Such advantages of using this novel red-light-controllable soft actuator in potential biological applications have also been demonstrated as negligible thermal effect and its excellent penetration ability into tissues. This work not only provides a novel photomanipulated soft actuation material system based on the TTA-UCL technology but also introduces a new technological application of the TTA-based upconversion system in photonic devices.

  2. Nanocomposites of graphene oxide and upconversion rare-earth nanocrystals with superior optical limiting performance

    KAUST Repository

    Wei, Wei

    2012-04-20

    Upconversion rare-earth nanomaterials (URENs) possess highly efficient near-infrared (NIR), e.g., 980 nm, laser absorption and unique energy upconversion capabilities. On the other hand, graphene and its derivatives, such as graphene oxide (GO), show excellent performance in optical limiting (OL); however, the wavelengths of currently used lasers for OL studies mainly focus on either 532 or 1064 nm. To design new-generation OL materials working at other optical regions, such as the NIR, a novel nanocomposites, GO-URENs, which combines the advantages of both its components, is synthesized by a one-step chemical reaction. Transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and fluorescence studies prove that the α-phase URENs uniformly attach on the GO surface via covalent chemical bonding, which assures highly efficient energy transfer between URENs and GO, and also accounts for the significantly improved OL performance compared to either GO or URENs. The superior OL effect is also observed in the proof-of-concept thin-film product, suggesting immediate applications in making high-performance laser-protecting products and optoelectronic devices. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Aqueous phase synthesis of upconversion nanocrystals through layer-by-layer epitaxial growth for in vivo X-ray computed tomography

    KAUST Repository

    Li, Feifei; Li, Chunguang; Liu, Jianhua; Liu, Xiaomin; Zhao, Lan; Bai, Tianyu; Yuan, Qinghai; Kong, Xianggui; Han, Yu; Shi, Zhan; Feng, Shouhua

    2013-01-01

    Lanthanide-doped core-shell upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) have tremendous potential for applications in many fields, especially in bio-imaging and medical therapy. As core-shell UCNCs are mostly synthesized in organic solvents, tedious organic

  4. Multicolor photoluminescence in ITQ-16 zeolite film

    KAUST Repository

    Chen, Yanli

    2016-09-07

    Exploring the native defects of zeolites is highly important for understanding the properties of zeolites, such as catalysis and optics. Here, ITQ-16 films were prepared via the secondary growth method in the presence of Ge atoms. Various intrinsic defects of ITQ-16 films were fully studied through photoluminescence and FTIR characterizations. It was found that both the as-synthesized and calcined ITQ-16 films displayed multicolor photoluminescence including ultraviolet, blue, green and red emissions by exciting upon appropriate wavelengths. The results indicate that Si―OH and non-bridging oxygen hole centers(NBOHCs) are responsible for the origin of green and red emissions at 540―800 nm, while according to a variety of emission bands of calcined ITQ-16 film, blue emission bands at around 446 and 462 nm are attributed to peroxy free radicals(≡SiO2), ultraviolet emissions ranging from 250 nm to 450 nm are suggested originating from a singlet-to-triplet transition of two-fold-coordinated Si and Ge, respectively. © 2016, Jilin University, The Editorial Department of Chemical Research in Chinese Universities and Springer-Verlag GmbH.

  5. Electroluminescence of Multicomponent Conjugated Polymers. 1. Roles of Polymer/Polymer Interfaces in Emission Enhancement and Voltage-Tunable Multicolor Emission in Semiconducting Polymer/Polymer Heterojunctions

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Zhang, Xuejun, Ph.D

    1999-01-01

    Effects of the electronic structure of polymer/polymer interfaces on the electroluminescence efficiency and tunable multicolor emission of polymer heterojunction light-emitting diodes were explored...

  6. In vivo 808 nm image-guided photodynamic therapy based on an upconversion theranostic nanoplatform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiaomin; Que, Ivo; Kong, Xianggui; Zhang, Youlin; Tu, Langping; Chang, Yulei; Wang, Tong Tong; Chan, Alan; Löwik, Clemens W. G. M.; Zhang, Hong

    2015-09-01

    A new strategy for efficient in vivo image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been demonstrated utilizing a ligand-exchange constructed upconversion-C60 nanophotosensitizer. This theranostic platform is superior to the currently reported nanophotosensitizers in (i) directly bonding photosensitizer C60 to the surface of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) by a smart ligand-exchange strategy, which greatly shortened the energy transfer distance and enhanced the 1O2 production, resulting in the improvement of the therapeutic effect; (ii) realizing in vivo NIR 808 nm image-guided PDT with both excitation (980 nm) and emission (808 nm) light falling in the biological window of tissues, which minimized auto-fluorescence, reduced light scatting and improved the imaging contrast and depth, and thus guaranteed noninvasive diagnostic accuracy. In vivo and ex vivo tests demonstrated its favorable bio-distribution, tumor-selectivity and high therapeutic efficacy. Owing to the effective ligand exchange strategy and the excellent intrinsic photophysical properties of C60, 1O2 production yield was improved, suggesting that a low 980 nm irradiation dosage (351 J cm-2) and a short treatment time (15 min) were sufficient to perform NIR (980 nm) to NIR (808 nm) image-guided PDT. Our work enriches the understanding of UCNP-based PDT nanophotosensitizers and highlights their potential use in future NIR image-guided noninvasive deep cancer therapy.A new strategy for efficient in vivo image-guided photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been demonstrated utilizing a ligand-exchange constructed upconversion-C60 nanophotosensitizer. This theranostic platform is superior to the currently reported nanophotosensitizers in (i) directly bonding photosensitizer C60 to the surface of upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) by a smart ligand-exchange strategy, which greatly shortened the energy transfer distance and enhanced the 1O2 production, resulting in the improvement of the therapeutic effect; (ii

  7. Near infrared and upconversion luminescence behaviour of Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} codoped boro-tellurite glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Maheshvaran, K. [Department of Physics, Gandhigram Rural Institute - Deemed University, Gandhigram - 624302, India and Department of Physics, K.S. Rangasamy College of Technology, Trichengode - 637215 (India); Arunkumar, S., E-mail: mari-ram2000@yahoo.com; Vijayakumar, R., E-mail: mari-ram2000@yahoo.com; Marimuthu, K., E-mail: mari-ram2000@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Gandhigram Rural Institute − Deemed University, Gandhigram - 624302 (India)

    2014-04-24

    The broadband NIR and upconversion luminescence behavior in a new series of Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} codoped TeO{sub 2}-B{sub 2}O{sub 3}-SrO-BaO-Li{sub 2}O-LiF glasses have been studied exciting at a wavelength of 980 nm using semiconductor laser. A broadband emission is observed from 1450 to 1650 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) around 165 nm in 0.5wt% Yb{sup 3+} ion content E0.5YLTB glass. The radiative parameters such as transition probability (A), stimulated emission cross-section (σ{sup E}), experimental and calculated branching ratios (β{sub R}), optical gain width (σ{sub p}×FWHM) and radiative lifetime (τ{sub cal}) have been calculated for the {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} NIR emission. Upconversion luminescence spectra of the prepared glasses have been studied and the ESA and ET processes have also been discussed and reported.

  8. Application of upconversion luminescent-magnetic microbeads with weak background noise and facile separation in ochratoxin A detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liao, Zhenyu, E-mail: liaozy08@163.com [Tianjin Product Quality Inspection Technology Research Institute, The National Center of Supervision and Inspection for Quality of Food (China); Zhang, Ying [Tianjin University, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin Engineering Center of Micro-Nano Biomaterials and Detection-Treatment Technology (China); Su, Lin [Tianjin Medical University Eye Hospital, Eye Institute and School of Optometry and Ophthalmology (China); Chang, Jin; Wang, Hanjie, E-mail: wanghj@tju.edu.cn [Tianjin University, School of Life Sciences, Tianjin Engineering Center of Micro-Nano Biomaterials and Detection-Treatment Technology (China)

    2017-02-15

    Ochratoxin A (OTA), the most harmful and abundant ochratoxin, is chemically stable and commonly existed in foodstuffs. In this work, upconversion luminescent-magnetic microbeads (UCLMMs) -based cytometric bead array for OTA detection with a less reagent consumption and high sensitivity has been established and optimized. In UCLMMs, upconversion nanocrystals (UCNs) for optical code present a weak background noise and no spectral cross talk between the encoding signals and target labels under two excitation conditions to improve detection sensitivity. While the superparamagnetic Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} NPs) aim for rapid analysis. The results show that the developed method has a sensitivity of 9.553 ppt below HPLC with a 50-μL sample and can be completed in <2 h with good accuracy and high reproducibility. Therefore, different colors of UCLMMs will become a promising assay platform for multiple mycotoxins after further improvement.

  9. Spectroscopy and enhanced frequency upconversion in Nd3+-Yb3+ codoped TPO glasses: energy transfer and NIR to visible upconverter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azam, Mohd; Rai, Vineet Kumar; Mohanty, Deepak Kumar

    2017-09-01

    TeO2-Pb3O4 (TPO) glasses codoped with Nd3+ and Yb3+ ions have been fabricated by conventional melting technique. The absorption, emission and excitation spectra of the samples have been recorded. The optical band gap in both the doped/codoped glasses is found to be ˜3.31 eV. Judd-Ofelt analysis has been carried out by using the absorption spectrum of 0.8 mol% Nd3+ doped glass to determine the radiative properties viz radiative transition probabilities, branching ratios, radiative lifetimes, quality factor and emission cross sections of some emitting levels for Nd3+ ions. The radiative transition probability for the 4G7/2 → 4I9/2 transition (˜1926 Hz) is found to be maximum compared to other 4G5/2 → 4I9/2 (˜1622 Hz) and 4F5/2 → 4I9/2 (˜865 Hz) transitions. Upconversion (UC) luminescence of the samples has been examined by the 980 nm CW diode laser excitation. Effect of addition of Yb3+ ions in the Nd3+ doped glasses on UC emission intensity has been discussed. The UC emission intensity corresponding to the green, red and NIR bands in the codoped glass has been enhanced by ˜17, ˜12 and ˜42 times as compared to that of the Nd3+ singly doped glass. The quantum efficiency for the 4G7/2 level is found to be ˜32%. The nephelauxetic ratio, bonding parameter and covalency of Nd3+ ions have been found positive which represents the covalent bonding between Nd3+ ion and oxygen atom. The colour tunability from yellowish-green to dominant green region has been obtained in the optimized codoped TPO glass.

  10. Fabrication and evaluation of chitosan/NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+ upconversion nanoparticles composite beads based on the gelling of Pickering emulsion droplets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, Huiqiong; Chen, Xiuqiong; Shi, Jia; Shi, Zaifeng; Sun, Wei; Lin, Qiang; Wang, Xianghui; Dai, Zihao

    2017-01-01

    The rare earth ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) synthesized by hydrophobic organic ligands possess poor solubility and low fluorescence quantum yield in aqueous media. To conquer this issue, NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs, synthesized by a hydrothermal method, were coated with F127 and then assembled with chitosan to fabricate the chitosan/NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ composite beads (CS/NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ CBs) by Pickering emulsion system. The characterization results revealed that the as-synthesized NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs with an average size of 20 nm exhibited spherical morphology, high crystallinity and characteristic emission upconversion fluorescence with an overall blue color output. The NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs were successfully conjugated on the surface of chitosan beads by the gelling of emulsion droplets. The resultant CS/NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ CBs showed good upconversion luminescent property, drug-loading capacity, release performance and excellent biocompatibility, exhibiting great potentials in targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering with potential tracking capability and lasting release performance. - Highlights: • NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs were coated by F127 to improve aqueous dispersibility. • NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs were assembled with chitosan to fabricate the composite beads (CMs). • Pickering emulsions stabilized by UCNPs exhibited uniform and satisfactory emulsion droplets. • The CMs prepared by the gelling of emulsion droplet preserved upconversion luminescent property. • The resultant CMs showed good drug-loading capacity, release performance and biocompatibility.

  11. Broadband dye-sensitized upconverting nanocrystals enabled near-infrared planar perovskite solar cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lai, Xuesen; Li, Xitao; Lv, Xinding; Zheng, Yan-Zhen; Meng, Fanli; Tao, Xia

    2017-12-01

    Extending the spectral absorption of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) from visible into near-infrared (NIR) range is a promising strategy to minimize non-absorption loss of solar photons and enhance the cell photovoltaic performance. Herein, we report on for the first time a viable strategy of incorporating IR806 dye-sensitized upconversion nanocrystals (IR806-UCNCs) into planar PSC for broadband upconversion of NIR light (800-1000 nm) into perovskite absorber-responsive visible emissions. A smart trick is firstly adopted to prepare hydrophilic IR806-UCNCs via a NOBF4 assisted two-step ligand-exchange that allows incorporating with perovskite precursor for in-situ growth of upconverting planar perovskite film. Unlike typically reported upconverting nanoparticles with narrow NIR absorption, the as-prepared IR806-UCNCs are able to harvest NIR light broadly and then transfer the captured energy to the UCNCs for an efficient visible upconversion. The IR806-UCNCs-incorporated cell exhibits a power conversion efficiency of 17.49%, corresponding to 29% increment from that of the pristine cell (13.52%). This strategy provides a feasible way to enable the most efficient harvesting of NIR sunlight for solar cells and other optoelectric devices.

  12. Photoluminescence up-conversion in five Inx(Al0.17Ga0.83)1-xAs/ Al0.17Ga0.83As quantum wells with different x values

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Machida, S.; Tadakuma, T.; Satake, A.

    Photoluminescence (PL) up-conversion in a unique system with five different quantum wells has been investigated. Anti-Stokes PL intensity observed shows dramatic dependence on where carriers are resonantly photoexcited, indicating nonlinear processes with spatial position dependence.......Photoluminescence (PL) up-conversion in a unique system with five different quantum wells has been investigated. Anti-Stokes PL intensity observed shows dramatic dependence on where carriers are resonantly photoexcited, indicating nonlinear processes with spatial position dependence....

  13. Slow-light-enhanced upconversion for photovoltaic applications in one-dimensional photonic crystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Craig M; Reece, Peter J; Conibeer, Gavin J

    2011-10-15

    We present an approach to realizing enhanced upconversion efficiency in erbium (Er)-doped photonic crystals. Slow-light-mode pumping of the first Er excited state transition can result in enhanced emission from higher-energy levels that may lead to finite subbandgap external quantum efficiency in crystalline silicon solar cells. Using a straightforward electromagnetic model, we calculate potential field enhancements of more than 18× within he slow-light mode of a one-dimensional photonic crystal and discuss design trade-offs and considerations for photovoltaics.

  14. Optical transitions of Tm3+ in oxyfluoride glasses and compositional and thermal effect on upconversion luminescence of Tm3+/Yb3+-codoped oxyfluoride glasses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Li; Wu, Yinsu; Liu, Zhuo; Guo, Tao

    2014-01-24

    Optical properties of Tm(3+)-doped SiO2-BaF2-ZnF2 glasses have been investigated on the basis of the Judd-Ofelt theory. Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, radiative transition probabilities, fluorescence branching ratios and radiative lifetimes have been calculated for different glass compositions. Upconversion emissions were observed in Tm(3+)/Yb(3+)-codoped SiO2-BaF2-ZnF2 glasses under 980 nm excitation. The effects of composition, concentration of the doping ions, temperature, and excitation pump power on the upconversion emissions were also systematically studied. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Plasmonic enhancement in upconversion emission of La2O3:Er3+/Yb3+ phosphor via introducing silver metal nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, S. P.; Kumar, K.; Rai, V. K.

    2015-11-01

    In the present work, authors have synthesized silver (Ag) nanoparticle (NP) embedded La2O3:Er3+/Yb3+ powder phosphor. The synthesis method has resulted in silver oxide-lanthanum oxide composite material. Through subsequent heat treatment of sample in pellet form, the silver metal nanoparticles were formed. The presence of plasmonic Ag NPs in the matrix is confirmed by various techniques. Large enhancement in downconversion as well as upconversion emission intensity of Er3+ ions at various concentrations of Ag NPs is obtained. Large enhancement in the upconversion emission intensity is correlated to the reduction in decay time of 4S3/2 level in the presence of Ag NPs, and possible reasons for intensity enhancement are discussed. The application of phosphor in fingermark detection is demonstrated.

  16. Polymer encapsulated upconversion nanoparticle/iron oxide nanocomposites for multimodal imaging and magnetic targeted drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Huan; Cheng, Liang; Wang, Chao; Ma, Xinxing; Li, Yonggang; Liu, Zhuang

    2011-12-01

    Multimodal imaging and imaging-guided therapies have become a new trend in the current development of cancer theranostics. In this work, we encapsulate hydrophobic upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) together with iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) by using an amphiphilic block copolymer, poly (styrene-block-allyl alcohol) (PS(16)-b-PAA(10)), via a microemulsion method, obtaining an UC-IO@Polymer multi-functional nanocomposite system. Fluorescent dye and anti-cancer drug molecules can be further loaded inside the UC-IO@Polymer nanocomposite for additional functionalities. Utilizing the Squaraine (SQ) dye loaded nanocomposite (UC-IO@Polymer-SQ), triple-modal upconversion luminescence (UCL)/down-conversion fluorescence (FL)/magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is demonstrated in vitro and in vivo, and also applied for in vivo cancer cell tracking in mice. On the other hand, a chemotherapy drug, doxorubicin, is also loaded into the nanocomposite, forming an UC-IO@Polymer-DOX complex, which enables novel imaging-guided and magnetic targeted drug delivery. Our work provides a method to fabricate a nanocomposite system with highly integrated functionalities for multimodal biomedical imaging and cancer therapy. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Single molecule upconversion-linked immunosorbent assay with extended dynamic range for the sensitive detection of diagnostic biomarkers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Farka, Z.; Matthias, J. M.; Hlaváček, Antonín; Skládal, P.; Gorris, H H.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 89, NOV (2017), s. 11825-11830 ISSN 0003-2700 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP206/12/G014 Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : photon upconversion * immunoassay * single molecule detection Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation OBOR OECD: Analytical chemistry Impact factor: 6.320, year: 2016

  18. Single molecule upconversion-linked immunosorbent assay with extended dynamic range for the sensitive detection of diagnostic biomarkers

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Farka, Z.; Matthias, J. M.; Hlaváček, Antonín; Skládal, P.; Gorris, H H.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 89, NOV (2017), s. 11825-11830 ISSN 0003-2700 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP206/12/G014 Institutional support: RVO:68081715 Keywords : photon upconversion * immunoassay * single molecule detection Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry , Separation OBOR OECD: Analytical chemistry Impact factor: 6.320, year: 2016

  19. Highly Efficient IR to NIR Upconversion in Gd2O2S: Er3+ for Photovoltaic Applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martin Rodriguez, R.; Fischer, S.; Ivaturi, A.; Froehlich, B.; Krämer, K.W.; Goldschmidt, J.C.; Richards, B.S.; Meijerink, A.

    2013-01-01

    Upconversion (UC) is a promising option to enhance the efficiency of solar cells by conversion of sub-bandgap infrared photons to higher energy photons that can be utilized by the solar cell. The UC quantum yield is a key parameter for a successful application. Here the UC luminescence properties of

  20. A Real-Time Apple Grading System Using Multicolor Space

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hayrettin Toylan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study was focused on the multicolor space which provides a better specification of the color and size of the apple in an image. In the study, a real-time machine vision system classifying apples into four categories with respect to color and size was designed. In the analysis, different color spaces were used. As a result, 97% identification success for the red fields of the apple was obtained depending on the values of the parameter “a” of CIE L*a*b*color space. Similarly, 94% identification success for the yellow fields was obtained depending on the values of the parameter y of CIE XYZ color space. With the designed system, three kinds of apples (Golden, Starking, and Jonagold were investigated by classifying them into four groups with respect to two parameters, color and size. Finally, 99% success rate was achieved in the analyses conducted for 595 apples.

  1. Ultrasensitive Detection of Ebola Virus Oligonucleotide Based on Upconversion Nanoprobe/Nanoporous Membrane System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsang, Ming-Kiu; Ye, WeiWei; Wang, Guojing; Li, Jingming; Yang, Mo; Hao, Jianhua

    2016-01-26

    Ebola outbreaks are currently of great concern, and therefore, development of effective diagnosis methods is urgently needed. The key for lethal virus detection is high sensitivity, since early-stage detection of virus may increase the probability of survival. Here, we propose a luminescence scheme of assay consisting of BaGdF5:Yb/Er upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) conjugated with oligonucleotide probe and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) linked with target Ebola virus oligonucleotide. As a proof of concept, a homogeneous assay was fabricated and tested, yielding a detection limit at picomolar level. The luminescence resonance energy transfer is ascribed to the spectral overlapping of upconversion luminescence and the absorption characteristics of AuNPs. Moreover, we anchored the UCNPs and AuNPs on a nanoporous alumina (NAAO) membrane to form a heterogeneous assay. Importantly, the detection limit was greatly improved, exhibiting a remarkable value at the femtomolar level. The enhancement is attributed to the increased light-matter interaction throughout the nanopore walls of the NAAO membrane. The specificity test suggested that the nanoprobes were specific to Ebola virus oligonucleotides. The strategy combining UCNPs, AuNPs, and NAAO membrane provides new insight into low-cost, rapid, and ultrasensitive detection of different diseases. Furthermore, we explored the feasibility of clinical application by using inactivated Ebola virus samples. The detection results showed great potential of our heterogeneous design for practical application.

  2. Investigation on the structural changes of ZnO:Er:Yb thin film during laser annealing to fabricate a transparent conducting upconverter

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lluscà, Marta, E-mail: marta.llusca@gmail.com [Department of Applied Physics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Future Industries Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes, 5095 South Australia (Australia); López-Vidrier, Julian [Department of Electronics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); IMTEK, Faculty of Engineering, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Georges-Köhler-Allee 103, 79110 Freiburg (Germany); Lauzurica, Sara; Canteli, David; Sánchez-Aniorte, Maria I.; Molpeceres, Carlos [Centro Láser, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28031 Madrid (Spain); Antony, Aldrin [Department of Applied Physics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, 400076 Mumbai (India); Hernández, Sergi [Department of Electronics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Alcobé, Xavier [Unitat de Difracció de Raigs X, Centres Científics i Tecnològics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Garrido, Blas [Department of Electronics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain); Bertomeu, Joan [Department of Applied Physics, Universitat de Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona (Spain)

    2017-05-15

    A transparent and conducting ZnO:Er:Yb thin film with upconversion properties has been achieved after being annealed with continuous laser radiation just before the ablation point of the material. This work demonstrates that the laser energy preserves the conductivity of the film and at the same time creates an adequate surrounding for Er and Yb to produce visible upconversion at 660, 560, 520, and 480 nm under 980 nm laser excitation. The relation between the structural, electrical and upconversion properties is discussed. It is observed that the laser energy melts part of the material, which recrystallizes creating rare earth oxides and two different wurtzite structures, one with substitutional rare earths and oxygen vacancies (responsible for the conductivity) and the other without substitutional rare earth ions (responsible for the upconversion emission).

  3. Novel Sr{sub 2}LuF{sub 7}–SiO{sub 2} nano-glass-ceramics: Structure and up-conversion luminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yanes, A.C.; Castillo, J. del, E-mail: fjvargas@ull.edu.es; Luis, D.; Puentes, J.

    2016-02-15

    Novel transparent nano-glass-ceramics comprising RE-doped Sr{sub 2}LuF{sub 7} nanocrystals have been obtained by thermal treatment of precursor sol–gel glasses. The precipitated Sr{sub 2}LuF{sub 7} nanocrystals with sizes from 4.5 to 11.5 nm, confirmed by X-Ray Diffraction and Transmission Electron Microscopy images, show a cubic phase structure. The luminescent features of Eu{sup 3+} ions, used as structural probes, evidence the distribution of RE ions into the fluoride nanocrystals. Under 980 nm laser excitation, intense UV, vis and NIR up-conversion emissions were observed and studied in Yb{sup 3+}–Tm{sup 3+}, Yb{sup 3+}–Er{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+}–Ho{sup 3+} co-doped nano-glass-ceramics. These results suggest considering these nano-glass-ceramics for potential optical applications as high efficient UV up-conversion materials in UV solid state lasers, infrared tuneable phosphors and photonic integrated devices. - Highlights: • Novel sol-gel glass-ceramics with RE{sup 3+}-Sr{sub 2}LuF{sub 7} doped nanocrystals were obtained. • Eu{sup 3+} probe ion was used to distinguish between amorphous and crystalline environments. • The incorporation of an important fraction of RE ions into nanocrystals was confirmed. • Under 980 nm excitation, intense UV-vis-NIR up-conversion emissions were observed.

  4. Simultaneous quantitative detection of multiple tumor markers with a rapid and sensitive multicolor quantum dots based immunochromatographic test strip.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chunying; Hou, Fei; Ma, Yicai

    2015-06-15

    A novel multicolor quantum dots (QDs) based immunochromatographic test strip (ICTS) was developed for simultaneous quantitative detection of multiple tumor markers, by utilizing alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as models. The immunosensor could realize simultaneous quantitative detection of tumor markers with only one test line and one control line on the nitrocellulose membrane (NC membrane) due to the introduction of multicolor QDs. In this method, a mixture of mouse anti-AFP McAb and mouse anti-CEA McAb was coated on NC membrane as test line and goat anti-mouse IgG antibody was coated as control line. Anti-AFP McAb-QDs546 conjugates and anti-CEA McAb-QDs620 conjugates were mixed and applied to the conjugate pad. Simultaneous quantitative detection of multiple tumor markers was achieved by detecting the fluorescence intensity of captured QDs labels on test line and control line using a test strip reader. Under the optimum conditions, AFP and CEA could be detected as low as 3 ng/mL and 2 ng/mL in 15 min with a sample volume of 80 μL, and no obvious cross-reactivity was observed. The immunosensor was validated with 130 clinical samples and in which it exhibited high sensitivity (93% for AFP and 87% for CEA) and specificity (94% for AFP and 97% for CEA). The immunosensor also demonstrated high recoveries (87.5-113% for AFP and 90-97.3% for CEA) and low relative standard deviations (RSDs) (2.8-6.2% for AFP and 4.9-9.6% for CEA) when testing spiked human serum. This novel multicolor QDs based ICTS provides an easy and rapid, simultaneous quantitative detecting strategy for point-of-care testing of tumor markers. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Fabrication and evaluation of chitosan/NaYF4:Yb3+/Tm3+ upconversion nanoparticles composite beads based on the gelling of Pickering emulsion droplets.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Huiqiong; Chen, Xiuqiong; Shi, Jia; Shi, Zaifeng; Sun, Wei; Lin, Qiang; Wang, Xianghui; Dai, Zihao

    2017-02-01

    The rare earth ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) synthesized by hydrophobic organic ligands possess poor solubility and low fluorescence quantum yield in aqueous media. To conquer this issue, NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs, synthesized by a hydrothermal method, were coated with F127 and then assembled with chitosan to fabricate the chitosan/NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ composite beads (CS/NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ CBs) by Pickering emulsion system. The characterization results revealed that the as-synthesized NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs with an average size of 20nm exhibited spherical morphology, high crystallinity and characteristic emission upconversion fluorescence with an overall blue color output. The NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ UCNPs were successfully conjugated on the surface of chitosan beads by the gelling of emulsion droplets. The resultant CS/NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ CBs showed good upconversion luminescent property, drug-loading capacity, release performance and excellent biocompatibility, exhibiting great potentials in targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering with potential tracking capability and lasting release performance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Multicolor (UV-IR) Photodetectors Based on Lattice-Matched 6.1 A II/VI and III/V Semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-08-27

    copyright information. 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES. Enter information not included elsewhere such as: prepared in cooperation with; translation of; report...II-VI heterojunctions such as multi-color photodetectors and solar cells [2]. Mixing lattice-matched II-VI and III-V semiconductors could be an...at 77 K, further silicon oxide surface passivation can be done to suppress the surface leakage [10] in the future work. Figure 10 The dark I-V

  7. Frequency upconversion fluorescence studies of Er{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+}-codoped KNbO{sub 3} phosphors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Balakrishnaiah, R. [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Physics, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Dong Woo [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Soung Soo, E-mail: ssyi@silla.ac.k [Department of Electronic Materials Engineering, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Kwang Duk; Kim, Sung Hoon [Department of Engineering in Energy and Applied Chemistry, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Kiwan; Lee, Ho Sueb [Department of Physics, Changwon National University, Changwon 641-773 (Korea, Republic of); Jeong, Jung Hyun [Department of Physics, Pukyong National University, Busan 608-737 (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-05-29

    Different concentrations of Er{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+} ions-doped potassium niobate (K{sub 0.9}NbO{sub 3}:Yb{sub (x)}Er{sub (0.1-x)} for x = 0, 0.01, 0.05, 0.09 and 0.1) polycrystalline powder phosphors were prepared by the conventional solid state reaction method and were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Energy transfer and upconversion fluorescence properties of the Yb{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+}-codoped phosphors have been discussed. The XRD data has shown mono-phase for pure KNbO{sub 3} while the doped samples represented additional phase formation. The SEM micrographs represented the rectangular crystal growth habit for the KNbO{sub 3} phosphors when doped with 0.1 mol of Er{sup 3+} ions. An intense green emission at 557 nm along with a red emission at 674 nm was observed when the doped samples were excited with 975 nm IR radiation. The upconversion mechanism has been discussed based on the excited state absorption and energy transfer mechanisms.

  8. UV, blue and red upconversion emission in Tm3+ doped Y2O3 phosphor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pandey, Anurag; Kaushal Kumar; Rai, Vineet Kumar

    2012-01-01

    Optimized solution combustion route has been adopted to prepare Tm 3+ doped Y 2 O 3 phosphor. The X-ray diffraction analysis of the doped phosphor for getting the structural information has been performed. Intense UV, blue and red emissions exhibiting narrow band have been monitored using 980 nm diode laser excitation. The origin of UV, blue and red upconversion emissions has been explained based on the available data. (author)

  9. The Status of MUSIC: A Multicolor Sub/millimeter MKID Instrument

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlaerth, J. A.; Czakon, N. G.; Day, P. K.; Downes, T. P.; Duan, R.; Glenn, J.; Golwala, S. R.; Hollister, M. I.; LeDuc, H. G.; Maloney, P. R.; Mazin, B. A.; Nguyen, H. T.; Noroozian, O.; Sayers, J.; Siegel, S.; Zmuidzinas, J.

    2012-05-01

    We report on the recent progress of the Multicolor Submillimeter (kinetic) Inductance Camera, or MUSIC. MUSIC will use antenna-coupled Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors to observe in four colors (150 GHz, 230 GHz, 290 GHz and 350 GHz) with 2304 detectors, 576 per band, at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory. It will deploy in 2012. Here we provide an overview of the instrument, focusing on the array design. We have also used a pathfinder demonstration instrument, DemoCam, to identify problems in advance of the deployment of MUSIC. In particular, we identified two major limiters of our sensitivity: out-of-band light directly coupling to the detectors (i.e. not through the antenna), effectively an excess load, and a large 1/f contribution from our amplifiers and electronics. We discuss the steps taken to mitigate these effects to reach background-limited performance (BLIP) in observation.

  10. Smart pH-responsive upconversion nanoparticles for enhanced tumor cellular internalization and near-infrared light-triggered photodynamic therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Sheng; Zhang, Lei; Dong, Chunhong; Su, Lin; Wang, Hanjie; Chang, Jin

    2015-01-01

    A smart pH-responsive photodynamic therapy system based on upconversion nanoparticle loaded PEG coated polymeric lipid vesicles (RB-UPPLVs) was designed and prepared. These RB-UPPLVs which are promising agents for deep cancer photodynamic therapy applications can achieve enhanced tumor cellular internalization and near-infrared light-triggered photodynamic therapy.

  11. Upconversion luminescence of Er3+/Yb3+ doped Sr5(PO4)3OH phosphor powders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokoena, P. P.; Swart, H. C.; Ntwaeaborwa, O. M.

    2018-04-01

    Sr5(PO4)3OH co-doped with Er3+and Yb3+ powder phosphors were synthesized by urea combustion method. The crystal structure was analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD). Particle morphology was analyzed using a Jeol JSM 7800F thermal field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) and the chemical composition analysis was carried out using an Oxford Instruments AzTEC energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) attached to the FE-SEM. Upconversion emission was measured by using a FLS980 Spectrometer equipped with a 980 nm NIR laser as the excitation source, and a photomultiplier (PMT) detector. The XRD data of the Sr5(PO4)3OH powder exhibited characteristic diffraction patterns of the hexagonal structure referenced in the standard JCPDS card number 00-033-1348. The sharp peaks revealed the formation of crystalline Sr5(PO4)3OH. The powders were made up of hexagonal nanospheres. The enhanced red emission due to the 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 transitions of Er3+ was observed and was attributed to up conversion (UC) energy transfer from Yb3+. The upconversion energy transfer mechanism from Yb3+ to Er3+ is discussed.

  12. Molecular cytogenetic analysis of human blastocysts andcytotrophoblasts by multi-color FISH and Spectra Imaging analyses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weier, Jingly F.; Ferlatte, Christy; Baumgartner, Adolf; Jung,Christine J.; Nguyen, Ha-Nam; Chu, Lisa W.; Pedersen, Roger A.; Fisher,Susan J.; Weier, Heinz-Ulrich G.

    2006-02-08

    Numerical chromosome aberrations in gametes typically lead to failed fertilization, spontaneous abortion or a chromosomally abnormal fetus. By means of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), we now can screen human embryos in vitro for aneuploidy before transferring the embryos to the uterus. PGD allows us to select unaffected embryos for transfer and increases the implantation rate in in vitro fertilization programs. Molecular cytogenetic analyses using multi-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of blastomeres have become the major tool for preimplantation genetic screening of aneuploidy. However, current FISH technology can test for only a small number of chromosome abnormalities and hitherto failed to increase the pregnancy rates as expected. We are in the process of developing technologies to score all 24 chromosomes in single cells within a 3 day time limit, which we believe is vital to the clinical setting. Also, human placental cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) at the fetal-maternal interface acquire aneuploidies as they differentiate to an invasive phenotype. About 20-50% of invasive CTB cells from uncomplicated pregnancies were found aneuploidy, suggesting that the acquisition of aneuploidy is an important component of normal placentation, perhaps limiting the proliferative and invasive potential of CTBs. Since most invasive CTBs are interphase cells and possess extreme heterogeneity, we applied multi-color FISH and repeated hybridizations to investigate individual CTBs. In summary, this study demonstrates the strength of Spectral Imaging analysis and repeated hybridizations, which provides a basis for full karyotype analysis of single interphase cells.

  13. Noniterative algorithm for improving the accuracy of a multicolor-light-emitting-diode-based colorimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Pao-Keng

    2012-05-01

    We present a noniterative algorithm to reliably reconstruct the spectral reflectance from discrete reflectance values measured by using multicolor light emitting diodes (LEDs) as probing light sources. The proposed algorithm estimates the spectral reflectance by a linear combination of product functions of the detector's responsivity function and the LEDs' line-shape functions. After introducing suitable correction, the resulting spectral reflectance was found to be free from the spectral-broadening effect due to the finite bandwidth of LED. We analyzed the data for a real sample and found that spectral reflectance with enhanced resolution gives a more accurate prediction in the color measurement.

  14. Enriching PMMA nanospheres with adjustable charges as novel templates for multicolored dye-PMMA nanocomposites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Xumei; Xu Shuping; Xu Weiqing; Liang Chongyang; Li Hongrui; Sun Fei

    2011-01-01

    Multicolored fluorescent dye loaded PMMA nanospheres were synthesized by the electrostatic adsorption of dye molecules on the charged PMMA nanospheres, whose charges were adjusted by choosing different initiators. The charged PMMA nanospheres have a wider capacity and advantage for combining the charged dyes. The fluorescent dye-PMMA composite nanospheres possess the advantages of higher brightness, longer lifetime and stronger resistance to photobleaching relative to dye molecules. Dye leakage remained lower than 5% over one week. These fluorescent nanospheres have been used in biological labels in cell imaging. They can easily stain blood cancer cells without further surface modification.

  15. Bioinspired near-infrared-excited sensing platform for in vitro antioxidant capacity assay based on upconversion nanoparticles and a dopamine-melanin hybrid system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dong; Chen, Chuan; Ke, Xuebin; Kang, Ning; Shen, Yuqing; Liu, Yongliang; Zhou, Xi; Wang, Hongjun; Chen, Changqing; Ren, Lei

    2015-02-11

    A novel core-shell structure based on upconversion fluorescent nanoparticles (UCNPs) and dopamine-melanin has been developed for evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of biological fluids. In this approach, dopamine-melanin nanoshells facilely formed on the surface of UCNPs act as ultraefficient quenchers for upconversion fluorescence, contributing to a photoinduced electron-transfer mechanism. This spontaneous oxidative polymerization of the dopamine-induced quenching effect could be effectively prevented by the presence of various antioxidants (typically biothiols, ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), and Trolox). The chemical response of the UCNPs@dopamine-melanin hybrid system exhibited great selectivity and sensitivity toward antioxidants relative to other compounds at 100-fold higher concentration. A satisfactory correlation was established between the ratio of the "anti-quenching" fluorescence intensity and the concentration of antioxidants. Besides the response of the upconversion fluorescence signal, a specific evaluation process for antioxidants could be visualized by the color change from colorless to dark gray accompanied by the spontaneous oxidation of dopamine. The near-infrared (NIR)-excited UCNP-based antioxidant capacity assay platform was further used to evaluate the antioxidant capacity of cell extracts and human plasma, and satisfactory sensitivity, repeatability, and recovery rate were obtained. This approach features easy preparation, fluorescence/visual dual mode detection, high specificity to antioxidants, and enhanced sensitivity with NIR excitation, showing great potential for screening and quantitative evaluation of antioxidants in biological systems.

  16. Energy transfer upconversion in Er3+-Tm3+ codoped sodium silicate glass

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumar, Vinod; Pandey, Anurag; Ntwaeaborwa, O. M.; Swart, H. C.

    2018-04-01

    Er3+/Tm3+ doped and codoped Na2O-SiO2-ZnO (NSZO) glasses were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method. The amorphous nature of the prepared glasses was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction analysis. The optical absorption spectrum displayed several peaks, which correspond to Er3+ and Tm3+ dopant ions embedded into the NSZO glass. Both dopants experienced upconversion emission under 980 nm excitation. Efficient energy transfer from Er3+ to Tm3+ was observed in the co-doped samples to enhance the near infrared emission of the Tm3+ ions.

  17. The modulation of upconversion in BaTiO{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}, Er{sup 3+} inverse opal structures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tan, Tianya; Han, Yazhou; Zhang, Chunyu; Ji, Yanan; Zhang, Fan; Chen, Qiang; Wang, Chun; Mei, Yong; Xu, Panfeng; Li, Lina [College of Physics, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036 (China); Zhu, Yongsheng, E-mail: yongshengzhu0001@163.com [College of Physics and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061 (China); Wang, Jiwei, E-mail: jiweiwang6688@yahoo.com [College of Physics, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036 (China)

    2017-03-15

    Under 980 nm excitation, it is observed that green upconversion emission is suppressed whereas red emission is enhanced when the photonic band gap (PBG) covers the spectral region of green emission in the BaTiO{sub 3}: Yb{sup 3+}, Er{sup 3+} inverse opal structure. The investigation of the PBG effect on upconversion dynamics reveals that the population of the low level {sup 4}I{sub 13/2} is increased by both cross relaxation and energy back transfer processes when spontaneous emission of higher levels is suppressed. Then, following energy transfer or excited state absorption processes starting from {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}, the intensity of red emission is enhanced. The ratio of 525 nm versus 550 nm emission presents the temperature of samples when the PBG complete or absent covers the green emission band. However, the branching ratio deviates the temperature index in condition of a part of overlap between PBG and green emission band.

  18. Optical thermometry based on green upconversion emission in Er3+/Yb3+ codoped BaGdF5 glass ceramics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ting; Zhao, Shilong; Lei, Ruoshan; Huang, Lihui; Xu, Shiqing

    2018-02-01

    Er3+/Yb3+ codoped BaGdF5 glass ceramics have been prepared and used to develop a portable all-fiber temperature sensor based on fluorescence intensity ratio technique. XRD and TEM results affirm the generation of BaGdF5 nanocrystals in the borosilicate glass. Eu3+ ions are used as spectral probe to investigate external environment around rare earth (RE) ions. Intense green upconversion emissions from Er3+ ions are detected in the BaGdF5 glass ceramics and their intensity are enhanced about three orders of magnitude after heat treatment, which is attributed to the enrichment of RE ions in the BaGdF5 phase. Based on green upconversion emission from Er3+ ions, the temperature sensing property of the portable all-fiber temperature sensor is studied. The maximum absolute sensitivity is 15.5 × 10-4 K-1 at 567 K and the relative sensitivity is 1.28% K-1 at 298 K, respectively.

  19. Benchmarking triplet-triplet annihilation photon upconversion schemes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gertsen, Anders S; Koerstz, Mads; Mikkelsen, Kurt V

    2018-05-07

    Photon upconversion facilitated by triplet-triplet annihilation in molecular systems is a promising path toward utilization of sub bandgap photons in photovoltaic devices. Prior to the challenging synthesis of new molecules, quantum chemical computations can aid the design process and provide suggestions for new and optimal systems. Here, we benchmark time-dependent density functional methods by their ability to describe relevant photophysical quantities of a range of different types of sensitizer/annihilator pairs to provide guidelines for future computational studies of potential new pairs. Using meta-GGA, hybrid, and range-separated hybrid functionals, we find that the hybrid functionals B3LYP and PBE0 (incorporating low to medium fractions of exact exchange of 20% and 25%, respectively) describe singlet absorptions the best, while triplet energetics are best described by the meta-GGA functionals M06-L and M11-L (incorporating no exact exchange), respectively. Furthermore, we find that the Tamm-Dancoff approximation of time-dependent density functional theory in general does not improve the description of neither singlet nor triplet energies of sensitizer/annihilator pairs.

  20. Correcting for color crosstalk and chromatic aberration in multicolor particle shadow velocimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McPhail, M J; Fontaine, A A; Krane, M H; Goss, L; Crafton, J

    2015-01-01

    Color crosstalk and chromatic aberration can bias estimates of fluid velocity measured by color particle shadow velocimetry (CPSV), using multicolor illumination and a color camera. This article describes corrections to remove these bias errors, and their evaluation. Color crosstalk removal is demonstrated with linear unmixing. It is also shown that chromatic aberrations may be removed using either scale calibration, or by processing an image illuminated by all colors simultaneously. CPSV measurements of a fully developed turbulent pipe flow of glycerin were conducted. Corrected velocity statistics from these measurements were compared to both single-color PSV and LDV measurements and showed excellent agreement to fourth-order, to well into the viscous sublayer. Recommendations for practical assessment and correction of color aberration and color crosstalk are discussed. (paper)

  1. Design of a Multi-Color Lamp Using High Brightness RGB LEDs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Song, S.B.; Kang, S.H.; Yeo, I.S. [Chonnam National University, Kwangju (Korea)

    2003-02-01

    This paper proposes the design of a multi-color lamp using high brightness RGB LEDs for color variation. Appropriate number of RGB LEDs is so chosen according to the color mixing theory that the overall LEDs represent a color temperature of 6500K. Also, the chosen RGB LEDs are suitably arranged by using an optical design program. The lamp has an internal controller circuit, so it can be directly connected to the existing incandescent lamp socket. It's main body is comprised of two PCB layers. The upper layer contains 44 LEDs and the lower one has a simple microcontroller-based PWM control circuit. The lamp has functions of both ON/OFF control and PWM control, and enables color variation of over 100,000 colors and of more than 10 patterns. (author). 7 refs., 11 figs., 3 tabs.

  2. A comprehensive phononics of phonon assisted energy transfer in the Yb{sup 3+} aided upconversion luminescence of Tm{sup 3+} and Ho{sup 3+} in solids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Debnath, Radhaballabh, E-mail: drdebnathr@gmail.com; Bose, Saptasree

    2015-05-15

    The theory of phonon assisted energy transfer is being widely used to explain the Yb{sup 3+} ion aided normal and upconversion emission of various rare earth ions in different Yb{sup 3+} co-doped solids. The reported phonon dynamics in many of these studies are either incomplete or erroneous. Here we report Yb{sup 3+} aided upconversion luminescence properties of Tm{sup 3+} and Ho{sup 3+} in (Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+}) and (Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+}) co-doped two BaO–tellurite glasses and explain their phononics in the light of Dexter's theory by proposing a comprehensive scheme. The approach is valid for other systems of different phonon structures. - Highlights: • Yb{sup 3+} aided upconversion luminescence properties of Tm{sup 3+} and Ho{sup 3+} in (Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+}) and (Yb{sup 3+}/Ho{sup 3+}) co-doped two BaO–tellurite glasses, are reported. • Phonon assisted energy transfer in these systems are explained in the light of Dexter's theory by proposing a comprehensive scheme of phononics. • The approach is valid for other systems of different phonon structures.

  3. A Novel Approach of Sensitive Infrared Signal Detection for Space Applications

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Develop an innovative frequency up-conversion device that will efficiently convert the infrared signals into visible/near-infrared signals to enable detection of...

  4. Thermal, optical and vibrational studies of tyrosine doped LaF3:Ce nanoparticles for bioimaging and biotagging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Amit T.

    2018-05-01

    Upconversion quantum dots of tyrosine doped LaF3:Ce nanoparticles have been synthesized by wet chemical route. The thermal studies (TGA/DTA) confirm the crystallinity and stability of different phases of synthesized nanoparticles. The UV-Visible spectra show multiple absorption edges at 215.60 nm and 243.10 nm indicating quantum dot nature of the synthesized nanoparticles. The PL spectra showed upconversion with sharp emission peak at 615 nm (red colour). The FT-RAMAN spectra of the synthesized nanoparticles show the modification of the surface of the nanoparticles in the form of functional groups and skeletal groups. Upconversion nature of the synthesized nanoparticles indicates their potential application in bioimaging and biotagging.

  5. Temperature-dependent luminescence and temperature-stimulated NIR-to-VIS up-conversion in Nd3+-doped La2O3-Na2O-ZnO-TeO2 glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sobczyk, Marcin

    2013-04-01

    Telluride glasses of the composition xNd2O3-(7-x)La2O3-3Na2O-25ZnO-65TeO2, where (0≤x≤7) were prepared by the melt quench technique. Some physical and optical properties of the glasses were evaluated. The thermal behavior i.e. glass transition and crystallization temperatures were studied by using TGA-DTA technique. Optical properties of Nd3+-doped telluride glasses were investigated between 298 and 700 K. Basing on the obtained values of J-O parameter values (×10-20 cm2: Ω2=4.49±0.84, Ω4=5.03±0.61, Ω6=4.31±0.73), the radiative transition probabilities (AT), radiative lifetimes (τR), fluorescence branching ratios (β) and emission cross-sections (σem) were calculated for the 4F3/2→4IJ/2 (where J=9, 11 and 13) transitions of Nd3+ ions. The τR value of the 4F3/2 level amount to 164 μs and is slightly higher than the measured decay time of 162 μs. With the increasing of Nd2O3 concentration from 0.5 to 7.0 mol% the experimental lifetime of the fluorescent level decreases from 162 to 5.6 μs. The estimated quantum efficiency amount to 100%, based on a comparison of τR and the experimental decay time of a slightly doped Nd3+ telluride glass. An analysis of the non-radiative decay was based on the cross-relaxation mechanisms. The 4F3/2→4I9/2 and 4F5/2→4I9/2 transitions were analyzed with respect to the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) and were found to be temperature dependent. Infrared-to-visible up-conversion emissions with a maximum at 603.0 and 635.3 nm were observed at high temperatures using the 804 nm excitation and are due to the 4G5/2→4I9/2 and 4G5/2→4I11/2 transitions of Nd3+ ions, respectively. The near quadratic dependence of fluorescence on excitation laser power confirms that two photons contribute to up-conversion of the orange emissions. The temperature-stimulated up-conversion excitation processes have been analyzed in detail. The optical results indicate that the investigated glasses are potentially applicable as a 1063 nm

  6. Construction of a system for up-conversion detection in vitroceramics doped with rare earths

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santa Cruz, P.A.; Azevedo, W.M. de; Sa, G.F. de

    1983-01-01

    A system capable of detecting up-conversion processes by energy transference or cooperative luminescence was developed. Pulverized vitroceramic samples containing PbF 2 and GeO 2 , doped with Yb 2 O 3 as sensitizer and Tm 2 O 3 or Er 2 O 3 as activator, were used. A diagram of the detection system, as well as graphs showing the variation of the emission intensity of these doped vitroceramics as a function of excitation intensity (970 mn), are presented. (C.L.B.) [pt

  7. Facile synthesis of upconversion nanoparticles with high purity using lanthanide oleate compounds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Ning; Ai, Chao-Chao; Zhou, Ya-Ming; Wang, Zuo; Ren, Lei

    2018-02-01

    A novel strategy for preparing highly pure NaYF4-based upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) was developed using lanthanide oleate compounds [Ln(OA)3] as the precursor, denoted as the Ln-OA preparation method. Compared to the conventional solvothermal method for synthesizing UCNPs using lanthanide chloride compounds (LnCl3) as the precursor (denoted as the Ln-Cl method), the Ln-OA strategy exhibited the merits of high purity, reduced purification process and a uniform size in preparing core and core-shell UCNPs excited by a 980 or 808 nm near infrared (NIR) laser. This work sheds new insight on the preparation of UCNPs and promotes their application in biomedical fields.

  8. Accurate Quantitative Sensing of Intracellular pH based on Self-ratiometric Upconversion Luminescent Nanoprobe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Cuixia; Zuo, Jing; Zhang, Li; Chang, Yulei; Zhang, Youlin; Tu, Langping; Liu, Xiaomin; Xue, Bin; Li, Qiqing; Zhao, Huiying; Zhang, Hong; Kong, Xianggui

    2016-12-09

    Accurate quantitation of intracellular pH (pH i ) is of great importance in revealing the cellular activities and early warning of diseases. A series of fluorescence-based nano-bioprobes composed of different nanoparticles or/and dye pairs have already been developed for pH i sensing. Till now, biological auto-fluorescence background upon UV-Vis excitation and severe photo-bleaching of dyes are the two main factors impeding the accurate quantitative detection of pH i . Herein, we have developed a self-ratiometric luminescence nanoprobe based on förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) for probing pH i , in which pH-sensitive fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were served as energy acceptor and donor, respectively. Under 980 nm excitation, upconversion emission bands at 475 nm and 645 nm of NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Tm 3+ UCNPs were used as pH i response and self-ratiometric reference signal, respectively. This direct quantitative sensing approach has circumvented the traditional software-based subsequent processing of images which may lead to relatively large uncertainty of the results. Due to efficient FRET and fluorescence background free, a highly-sensitive and accurate sensing has been achieved, featured by 3.56 per unit change in pH i value 3.0-7.0 with deviation less than 0.43. This approach shall facilitate the researches in pH i related areas and development of the intracellular drug delivery systems.

  9. Multicolor photometric study of M31 globular clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan Zhou; Ma Jun; Zhou Xu

    2009-01-01

    We present the photometry of 30 globular clusters (GCs) and GC candidates in 15 intermediate-band filters covering the wavelength region from ∼3000 to ∼10000 A using the archival CCD images of M31 observed as part of the Beijing - Arizona - Taiwan - Connecticut (BATC) Multicolor Sky Survey. We transform these intermediate-band photometric data into the photometry in the standard U BV RI broad-bands. These M31 GC candidates are selected from the Revised Bologna Catalog (RBC V.3.5), and most of these candidates do not have any photometric data. Therefore, the presented photometric data are a supplement to the RBC V.3.5. We find that 4 out of 61 GCs and GC candidates in RBC V.3.5 do not show any signal on the BATC images at their locations. By applying a linear fit of the distribution in the color-magnitude diagram of blue GCs and GC candidates using data from the RBC V.3.5, in this study, we find the 'blue-tilt' of blue M31 GCs with a high confidence at 99.95% or 3.47σ for the confirmed GCs, and > 99.99% or 4.87σ for GCs and GC candidates. (research papers)

  10. Efficient green and red up-conversion emissions in Er/Yb co-doped TiO{sub 2} nanopowders prepared by hydrothermal-assisted sol–gel process

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Salhi, Rached, E-mail: salhi_rached@yahoo.fr [Laboratoire de chimie industrielle, Ecole Nationale d’ingénieurs de Sfax, Université de Sfax, 3018 Sfax (Tunisia); Deschanvres, Jean-Luc [Laboratoire des Matériaux et du Génie Physique, 3 Parvis Louis Néel, BP 257, 38016 Grenoble (France)

    2016-08-15

    In this work, erbium and ytterbium co-doped titanium dioxide (Er–Yb:TiO{sub 2}) nanopowders have been successfully prepared by hydrothermal-assisted sol–gel method using supercritical drying of ethyl alcohol and annealing at 500 °C for 1 h. Nanopowders were prepared with fixed 5 mol% Erbium concentration and various Ytterbium concentrations of 5 and 10 mol%. The powders were characterized by studying their structural, morphology and photo-luminescent properties. The annealing treatment at 500 °C was found to enhance the crystallinity of the TiO{sub 2} anatase structure and the upconversion (UC) emission of the nanopowders. UC emissions were investigated under 980 nm excitation, and the Er–Yb:TiO{sub 2} nanopowders exhibited the intense green (520–570 nm) and red (640–690 nm) upconverted emissions of Er ions originating from an efficient Yb–Er energy transfer process. The absolute upconversion quantum yield (UC-QY) of each nanopowders was measured for the UC emissions centered at 525, 550 and 655 nm at varying excitation power densities. UC-QY analysis has revealed that 5 mol% Er–5 mol% Yb:TiO{sub 2} nanopowders possess the highest total quantum yield of 2.8±0.1% with a power density of 16.7 W/cm{sup 2}. These results make these nanopowders promising materials for efficient upconversion in photonic applications.

  11. Photon up-conversion production in Tb{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} co-doped CaF{sub 2} phosphors prepared by combustion synthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rakov, Nikifor, E-mail: nikifor.gomez@univasf.edu.br [PG—Ciência dos Materiais, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, 48902-300 Juazeiro, BA (Brazil); Guimarães, Renato B. [Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal Fluminense, 24210-346 Niterói, RJ (Brazil); Maciel, Glauco S., E-mail: glauco@if.uff.br [Instituto de Física, Universidade Federal Fluminense, 24210-346 Niterói, RJ (Brazil)

    2016-02-15

    Graphical abstract: Up-conversion luminescence from Tb{sup 3+} obtained by energy transfer from Yb{sup 3+} pairs in CaF{sub 2} powder prepared by combustion synthesis. - Highlights: • Calcium fluoride (CaF{sub 2}) powders were prepared by combustion synthesis. • Rare-earth ions doped in this material were found in interstitial sites. • Cooperative up-conversion was observed in Tb{sup 3+}:Yb{sup 3+}:CaF{sub 2} powder. • Energy transfer between Tb{sup 3+} and pairs of Yb{sup 3+} was analyzed using rate equations. - Abstract: Calcium fluoride (CaF{sub 2}) crystalline powders were successfully prepared by the combustion synthesis method. The powder material containing luminescent rare-earth ions, more specifically terbium (Tb{sup 3+}) and ytterbium (Yb{sup 3+}), was studied by X-ray diffraction, scanning electronic microscopy and optical spectroscopy. These ions are allocated in charge compensated interstitial positions of tetragonal (C{sub 4v}) and trigonal (C{sub 3v}) symmetry sites of the cubic (O{sub h}) CaF{sub 2} lattice. Up-conversion (UC) luminescence in Tb{sup 3+} was achieved using a low power diode laser operating at 975 nm. Tb{sup 3+} is insensitive to near-infrared radiation but UC can be achieved via energy transfer from pairs of Yb{sup 3+} ions to Tb{sup 3+} ions. The UC luminescence dynamics of Tb{sup 3+} was used to study the energy transfer mechanism.

  12. Spectroscopy and near infrared upconversion of Er{sup 3+}-doped TZNT glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venkata Krishnaiah, K. [Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502 (India); Marques-Hueso, J. [Institute of Sensors, Signals and Systems & Institute of Photonics and Quantum Sciences, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh EH14 4AS (United Kingdom); Suresh, K.; Venkataiah, G. [Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502 (India); Richards, B.S. [Light Technology Institute (LTI), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 13, 76131 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen (Germany); Jayasankar, C.K., E-mail: ckjaya@yahoo.com [Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517502 (India)

    2016-01-15

    In this paper we report on the near infrared (NIR) upconversion (UC) and spectroscopic properties of erbium (Er{sup 3+})-doped TeO{sub 2}–ZnO–Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5}–TiO{sub 2} (TZNT) oxide glasses. Judd–Ofelt theory has been applied to investigate the intensity parameters (Ω{sub λ}, λ=2, 4 and 6) which are used to derive radiative properties of the fluorescent levels. The different glasses present high refractive indices, low dispersion and Abbe numbers, as determined by variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. Under 980 nm excitation, the NIR emission profile and full width at half maximum have been studied in a broad range of Er{sup 3+} concentrations (0.01–3.0 mol%). On the other side, NIR UC has been obtained by exciting at 1523 nm, showing an increase of the intensity with Er{sup 3+} ion density in the studied range. The decay curves of the {sup 4}I{sub 13/2} level exhibit single exponential nature for all the different concentrations. The lifetime of the {sup 4}I{sub 13/2} level has been found to decrease (3.73–1.20 ms) after an initial increase (3.65–3.73 ms) with increasing of Er{sup 3+} ion concentration. The TZNT samples show broadband UC emission at 1.0 µm, which match with the band gap of silicon. This reveals that the investigated glasses could find application in photonics, for example non-linear optics and photovoltaic’s. - Highlights: • The Er{sup 3+}:TZNT glasses have been synthesized and optically characterized. • Refractive index and Abbe number of the TZNT glasses were measured by Ellipsometry. • Near infrared emission (1400–1600 nm) has been obtained under 980 nm excitation. • Near infrared upconversion at 980 nm has been investigated under 1523 nm excitation.

  13. Specific Visualization of Tumor Cells Using Upconversion Nanophosphors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grebenik, E. A.; Generalova, A. N.; Nechaev, A. V.; Khaydukov, E.V.; Mironova, K. E.; Stremovskiy, O. A.; Lebedenko, E.N.; Zvyagin, A. V.; Deyev, S. M.

    2014-01-01

    The development of targeted constructs on the basis of photoluminescent nanoparticles with a high photo- and chemical stability and absorption/emission spectra in the “transparency window” of biological tissues is an important focus area of present-day medical diagnostics. In this work, a targeted two-component construct on the basis of upconversion nanophosphors (UCNPs) and anti-tumor 4D5 scFv was developed for selective labeling of tumor cells overexpressing the HER2 tumor marker characteristic of a number of human malignant tumors. A high affinity barnase : barstar (Bn : Bs) protein pair, which exhibits high stability in a wide range of pH and temperatures, was exploited as a molecular adapter providing self-assembly of the two-component construct. High selectivity for the binding of the two-component 4D5 scFv-Bn : UCNP-Bs construct to human breast adenocarcinoma SK-BR-3 cells overexpressing HER2 was demonstrated. This approach provides an opportunity to produce similar constructs for the visualization of different specific markers in pathogenic tissues, including malignant tumors. PMID:25558394

  14. Amplified Photon Upconversion by Photonic Shell of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Ji-Hwan; Kim, Shin-Hyun; Fernandez-Nieves, Alberto; Reichmanis, Elsa

    2017-04-26

    As an effective platform to exploit triplet-triplet-annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC), microcapsules composed of a fluidic UC core and photonic shell are microfluidically prepared using a triple emulsion as the template. The photonic shell consists of cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) with a periodic helical structure, exhibiting a photonic band gap. Combined with planar anchoring at the boundaries, the shell serves as a resonance cavity for TTA-UC emission and enables spectral tuning of the UC under low-power-density excitation. The CLC shell can be stabilized by introducing a polymerizable mesogen in the LC host. Because of the microcapsule spherical symmetry, spontaneous emission of the delayed fluorescence is omnidirectionally amplified at the edge of the stop band. These results demonstrate the range of opportunities provided by TTA-UC systems for the future design of low-threshold photonic devices.

  15. Fabrication and evaluation of chitosan/NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} upconversion nanoparticles composite beads based on the gelling of Pickering emulsion droplets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yan, Huiqiong; Chen, Xiuqiong; Shi, Jia; Shi, Zaifeng; Sun, Wei; Lin, Qiang, E-mail: linqianggroup@163.com; Wang, Xianghui; Dai, Zihao

    2017-02-01

    The rare earth ion doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) synthesized by hydrophobic organic ligands possess poor solubility and low fluorescence quantum yield in aqueous media. To conquer this issue, NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} UCNPs, synthesized by a hydrothermal method, were coated with F127 and then assembled with chitosan to fabricate the chitosan/NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} composite beads (CS/NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} CBs) by Pickering emulsion system. The characterization results revealed that the as-synthesized NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} UCNPs with an average size of 20 nm exhibited spherical morphology, high crystallinity and characteristic emission upconversion fluorescence with an overall blue color output. The NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} UCNPs were successfully conjugated on the surface of chitosan beads by the gelling of emulsion droplets. The resultant CS/NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} CBs showed good upconversion luminescent property, drug-loading capacity, release performance and excellent biocompatibility, exhibiting great potentials in targeted drug delivery and tissue engineering with potential tracking capability and lasting release performance. - Highlights: • NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} UCNPs were coated by F127 to improve aqueous dispersibility. • NaYF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Tm{sup 3+} UCNPs were assembled with chitosan to fabricate the composite beads (CMs). • Pickering emulsions stabilized by UCNPs exhibited uniform and satisfactory emulsion droplets. • The CMs prepared by the gelling of emulsion droplet preserved upconversion luminescent property. • The resultant CMs showed good drug-loading capacity, release performance and biocompatibility.

  16. Enzymatic-induced upconversion photoinduced electron transfer for sensing tyrosine in human serum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Qiongqiong; Fang, Aijin; Li, Haitao; Zhang, Youyu; Yao, Shouzhuo

    2016-03-15

    This paper reports a novel nanosensor for tyrosine based on photoinduced electron-transfer (PET) between NaYF4:Yb, Tm upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) and melanin-like polymers. Melanin-like films were obtained from catalytic oxidation of tyrosine by tyrosinase, and deposited on the surface of UCNPs, and then quenched the fluorescence of UCNPs. Under the optimized conditions, the fluorescence quenching of UCNPs showed a good linear response to tyrosine concentration in the range of 0.8-100 μΜ with a detection limit of 1.1 μΜ. Meanwhile, it showed good sensitivity, stability and has been successfully applied to the detection of tyrosine in human serum. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Synthesis and green up-conversion fluorescence of colloidal La0.78Yb0.20Er0.02F3/SiO2 core/shell nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Yan; Qin Weiping; Zhang Jisen; Cao Chunyan; Zhang Jishuang; Jin Ye; Zhu Peifen; Wei Guodong; Wang Guofeng; Wang Lili

    2007-01-01

    Water-soluble PVP-stabilized hexagonal-phase La 0.78 Yb 0.20 Er 0.02 F 3 nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized by hydrothermal method. The NCs were coated with a very thin silica shell, and amino groups were introduced to the surface of silica shells by copolymerization of 3-aminopropyl(triethoxy)silane. The core/shell NCs can be dispersed in ethanol and water to form stable colloidal solution. The transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used to characterize the core/shell materials. In addition, the green up-conversion fluorescence mechanism of La 0.78 Yb 0.20 Er 0.02 F 3 /SiO 2 NCs was studied with a 980-nm diode laser as excitation source. The water solubility, small core/shell particles size, and well colloidal stability mean the green up-conversion fluorescence NCs have potential applications in bioassay. - Graphical abstract: Colloidal La 0.78 Yb 0.20 Er 0.02 F 3 /SiO 2 Core/Shell nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized and the free amino groups were introduced to the surface of silica shells by copolymerization 3-aminopropyl(triethoxy)silane. The NCs can be dispersed in ethanol and water to form stable colloidal solution. In addition, the NCs exhibit green up-conversion fluorescence under 980-nm excitation

  18. Water-stable NaLuF4-based upconversion nanophosphors with long-term validity for multimodal lymphatic imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jing; Zhu, Xingjun; Chen, Min; Sun, Yun; Li, Fuyou

    2012-09-01

    Multimodal imaging is rapidly becoming an important tool for biomedical applications because it can compensate for the deficiencies of individual imaging modalities. Herein, multifunctional NaLuF(4)-based upconversion nanoparticles (Lu-UCNPs) were synthesized though a facile one-step microemulsion method under ambient condition. The doping of lanthanide ions (Gd(3+), Yb(3+) and Er(3+)/Tm(3+)) endows the Lu-UCNPs with high T(1)-enhancement, bright upconversion luminescence (UCL) emissions, and excellent X-ray absorption coefficient. Moreover, the as-prepared Lu-UCNPs are stable in water for more than six months, due to the protection of sodium glutamate and diethylene triamine pentacetate acid (DTPA) coordinating ligands on the surface. Lu-UCNPs have been successfully applied to the trimodal CT/MR/UCL lymphatic imaging on the modal of small animals. It is worth noting that Lu-UCNPs could be used for imaging even after preserving for over six months. In vitro transmission electron microscope (TEM), methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and histological analysis demonstrated that Lu-UCNPs exhibited low toxicity on living systems. Therefore, Lu-UCNPs could be multimodal agents for CT/MR/UCL imaging, and the concept can be served as a platform technology for the next-generation of probes for multimodal imaging. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Up-Conversion Intersystem Crossing Rates in Organic Emitters for Thermally Activated Delayed Fluorescence: Impact of the Nature of Singlet vs Triplet Excited States

    KAUST Repository

    Samanta, Pralok Kumar; Kim, Dongwook; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Bredas, Jean-Luc

    2017-01-01

    The rates for up-conversion intersystem crossing (UISC) from the T1 state to the S1 state are calculated for a series of organic emitters with an emphasis on thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. Both the spin-orbit coupling

  20. Multiple Temperature-Sensing Behavior of Green and Red Upconversion Emissions from Stark Sublevels of Er3+

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baosheng Cao

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Upconversion luminescence properties from the emissions of Stark sublevels of Er3+ were investigated in Er3+-Yb3+-Mo6+-codoped TiO2 phosphors in this study. According to the energy levels split from Er3+, green and red emissions from the transitions of four coupled energy levels, 2H11/2(I/2H11/2(II, 4S3/2(I/4S3/2(II, 4F9/2(I/4F9/2(II, and 2H11/2(I + 2H11/2(II/4S3/2(I + 4S3/2(II, were observed under 976 nm laser diode excitation. By utilizing the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR technique, temperature-dependent upconversion emissions from these four coupled energy levels were analyzed at length. The optical temperature-sensing behaviors of sensing sensitivity, measurement error, and operating temperature for the four coupled energy levels are discussed, all of which are closely related to the energy gap of the coupled energy levels, FIR value, and luminescence intensity. Experimental results suggest that Er3+-Yb3+-Mo6+-codoped TiO2 phosphor with four pairs of energy levels coupled by Stark sublevels provides a new and effective route to realize multiple optical temperature-sensing through a wide range of temperatures in an independent system.

  1. Intramolecular evolution from a locally excited state to an excimer-like state in a multichromophoric dendrimer evidenced by a femtosecond fluorescence upconversion study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Karni, Y.; Jordens, S.; Belder, G. De; Schweitzer, G.; Hofkens, J.; Gensch, T.; Maus, M.; Schryver, F.C. De; Herrmann, A.; Müllen, K.

    1999-01-01

    A time-resolved fluorescence upconversion study on a polyphenylene dendrimer with eight peryleneimide chromophores on the surface and on a monochromophoric model compound is reported. The time-dependent fluorescence spectra of the dendrimer show that the initial excitation is into a locally excited

  2. Upconversion photoluminescence of epitaxial Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} codoped ferroelectric Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} films on silicon substrates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Yang, E-mail: zhangy_acd@hotmail.com [IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany); Kämpfe, Thomas [Institut für Angewandte Physik, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Bai, Gongxun [Department of Applied Physics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong (China); Mietschke, Michael; Yuan, Feifei; Zopf, Michael [IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany); Abel, Stefan [IBM Research GmbH, Saümerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon (Switzerland); Eng, Lukas M. [Institut für Angewandte Physik, TU Dresden, 01062 Dresden (Germany); Hühne, Ruben [IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany); Fompeyrine, Jean [IBM Research GmbH, Saümerstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon (Switzerland); Ding, Fei, E-mail: f.ding@ifw-dresden.de [IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany); Schmidt, Oliver G. [IFW Dresden, P.O. Box 270116, D-01171 Dresden (Germany); Material Systems for Nanoelectronics, Chemnitz University of Technology, Reichenhainer strasse 70, 09107 Chemnitz (Germany)

    2016-05-31

    Thin films of Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} codoped Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} (PZT:Yb/Er) have been epitaxially grown on the SrTiO{sub 3} buffered Si wafer by pulsed laser deposition. Strong upconversion photoluminescence was observed in the PZT:Yb/Er thin film. Using piezoresponse force microscopy, polar domains in the PZT:Yb/Er film can be reversibly switched with a phase change of 180°. Ferroelectric hysteresis loop shape with a well-saturated response was observed. The epitaxially grown lanthanide-doped PZT on silicon opens up a promising route to the integration of luminescent functional oxides on the silicon platform. - Highlights: • Epitaxial growth of Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} codoped Pb(Zr,Ti)O{sub 3} films on SrTiO{sub 3} buffered silicon • Upconversion emissions were obtained from the lanthanide ion doped thin films. • Saturated ferroelectric hysteresis loops were observed. • Polar domains were switched by PFM with a phase change of 180°.

  3. Multimodal emissions from Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped lithium borate glass: Upconversion, downshifting and quantum cutting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bahadur, A.; Yadav, R.S.; Yadav, R.V.; Rai, S.B., E-mail: sbrai49@yahoo.co.in

    2017-02-15

    This paper reports the optical properties of Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped lithium borate (LB) glass prepared by melt quench method. The absorption spectrum of the Yb{sup 3+} doped LB glass contains intense NIR band centered at 976 nm due to {sup 2}F{sub 7/2}→{sup 2}F{sub 5/2} transition. The emission spectra of the prepared glasses have been monitored on excitation with 266, 355 and 976 nm. The Yb{sup 3+} doped glass emits a broad NIR band centered at 976 nm whereas the Tb{sup 3+} doped glass gives off visible bands on excitations with 266 and 355 nm. When the Tb{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+} ions are co-doped together, the emission intensity in the visible region decreases whereas it increases in the NIR region significantly. The increase in the emission intensity in the NIR region is due to efficient cooperative energy transfer (CET) from Tb{sup 3+} to Yb{sup 3+} ions. The quantum cutting efficiency for Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped glass has been calculated and compared for 266 and 355 nm excitations. The quantum cutting efficiency is larger for 355 nm excitation (137%). The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped LB glass also emits upconverted visible bands on excitation with 976 nm. The mechanisms involved in the energy transfer have been discussed using schematic energy level diagram. The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped LB glass may be used in the optical devices and in solar cell for solar spectral conversion and behaves as a multi-modal photo-luminescent material. - Graphical abstract: The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped lithium borate (LB) glass prepared by melt quench method emits upconverted visible emissions through upconversion CET from Yb{sup 3+} to Tb{sup 3+} ions and quantum cutting emissions through downconversion CET from Tb{sup 3+} to Yb{sup 3+} ions. Therefore, the Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped LB glass may find applications in optical devices and solar cell and behaves as a multi-modal photo-luminescent material. - Highlights: • The Tb{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3

  4. Mid-infrared upconversion spectroscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Andersen, H. V.

    2016-01-01

    Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy is emerging as an attractive alternative to near-infrared or visible spectroscopy. MIR spectroscopy offers a unique possibility to probe the fundamental absorption bands of a large number of gases as well as the vibrational spectra of complex molecules. In this paper...

  5. Innovative molecular-based fluorescent nanoparticles for multicolor single particle tracking in cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Daniel, Jonathan; Blanchard-Desce, Mireille; Godin, Antoine G; Palayret, Matthieu; Lounis, Brahim; Cognet, Laurent

    2016-01-01

    Based on an original molecular-based design, we present bright and photostable fluorescent organic nanoparticles (FONs) showing excellent colloidal stability in various aqueous environments. Complementary near-infrared emitting and green emitting FONs were prepared using a simple, fast and robust protocol. Both types of FONs could be simultaneously imaged at the single-particle level in solution as well as in biological environments using a monochromatic excitation and a dual-color fluorescence microscope. No evidence of acute cytotoxicity was found upon incubation of live cells with mixed solutions of FONs, and both types of nanoparticles were found internalized in the cells where their motion could be simultaneously tracked at video-rate up to minutes. These fluorescent organic nanoparticles open a novel non-toxic alternative to existing nanoparticles for imaging biological structures, compatible with live-cell experiments and specially fitted for multicolor single particle tracking. (paper)

  6. Delivery and reveal of localization of upconversion luminescent microparticles and quantum dots in the skin in vivo by fractional laser microablation, multimodal imaging, and optical clearing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Volkova, Elena K.; Yanina, Irina Yu; Genina, Elina A.; Bashkatov, Alexey N.; Konyukhova, Julia G.; Popov, Alexey P.; Speranskaya, Elena S.; Bucharskaya, Alla B.; Navolokin, Nikita A.; Goryacheva, Irina Yu.; Kochubey, Vyacheslav I.; Sukhorukov, Gleb B.; Meglinski, Igor V.; Tuchin, Valery V.

    2018-02-01

    Delivery and spatial localization of upconversion luminescent microparticles [Y2O3:Yb, Er] (mean size ˜1.6 μm) and quantum dots (QDs) (CuInS2/ZnS nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol-based amphiphilic polymer, mean size ˜20 nm) inside rat skin was studied in vivo using a multimodal optical imaging approach. The particles were embedded into the skin dermis to the depth from 300 to 500 μm through microchannels performed by fractional laser microablation. Low-frequency ultrasound was applied to enhance penetration of the particles into the skin. Visualization of the particles was revealed using a combination of luminescent spectroscopy, optical coherence tomography, confocal microscopy, and histochemical analysis. Optical clearing was used to enhance the image contrast of the luminescent signal from the particles. It was demonstrated that the penetration depth of particles depends on their size, resulting in a different detection time interval (days) of the luminescent signal from microparticles and QDs inside the rat skin in vivo. We show that luminescent signal from the upconversion microparticles and QDs was detected after the particle delivery into the rat skin in vivo during eighth and fourth days, respectively. We hypothesize that the upconversion microparticles have created a long-time depot localized in the laser-created channels, as the QDs spread over the surrounding tissues.

  7. Annealing time dependent up-conversion luminescence enhancement in magnesium–tellurite glass

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amjad, Raja J., E-mail: rajajunaid25@gmail.com [Advanced Optical Material Research Group, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor bahru 81310 (Malaysia); Centre for Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab, QAC, Lahore 54590 (Pakistan); Sahar, M.R.; Ghoshal, S.K.; Dousti, M.R. [Advanced Optical Material Research Group, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor bahru 81310 (Malaysia); Riaz, S. [Centre for Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab, QAC, Lahore 54590 (Pakistan); Samavati, A.R.; Arifin, R. [Advanced Optical Material Research Group, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai, Johor bahru 81310 (Malaysia); Naseem, S. [Centre for Solid State Physics, University of the Punjab, QAC, Lahore 54590 (Pakistan)

    2013-04-15

    Silver nanoparticles (NPs) embedded Er{sup 3+} ions doped magnesium–tellurite glasses are prepared using melt quenching technique. Heat treatment with different time intervals above the glass transition temperature is applied in order to reduce the silver ions (Ag{sup +}) to silver NPs (Ag{sup o}). The transmission electron microscopy (TEM), differential thermal analyses (DTA), UV–vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy are used to examine annealing time dependent structural and optical properties. The characteristics temperatures such as glass transition temperature (T{sub g}), crystallization temperature (T{sub c}) and melting temperature (T{sub m}) obtained from DTA for an as prepared sample are 322 °C, 450 °C and 580 °C, respectively. TEM image clearly shows the homogeneous distribution of silver NPs with an average diameter ∼12 nm. The observed localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) band is evidenced at 534 nm. Furthermore, the infrared to visible frequency up-conversion (UC) emission under 786 nm excitation exhibits three emission bands centered at 532 nm, 554 nm and 634 nm corresponding to {sup 2}H{sub 11/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2}, {sup 4}S{sub 3/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} and {sup 4}F{sub 9/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} transitions of Er{sup 3+}, respectively. Intensity of all the bands is found to enhance by increasing the annealing time up to 24 h. However, further increase in the annealing time duration (∼40 h) reduces the intensity. Enhancement in the luminescence intensity is understood in terms of the local field effect of the silver NPs whereas the quenching is attributed to the energy transfer from Er{sup 3+} ions to silver NPs. -- Highlights: ► Er{sup 3+}-doped silver NPs embedded magnesium–tellurite glasses are prepared. ► TEM confirms the successful precipitation of spherical NPs by heat treatment (HT). ► Luminescence is enhanced due to the growth of NPs after HT up to 24 h. ► With HT>24 h (40 h

  8. Three-dimensional micro-printing of temperature sensors based on up-conversion luminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wickberg, Andreas; Mueller, Jonathan B. [Institute of Applied Physics and DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Mange, Yatin J.; Nann, Thomas [Ian Wark Research Institute, University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Blvd, Adelaide, SA 5095 (Australia); Fischer, Joachim [Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Wegener, Martin [Institute of Applied Physics and DFG-Center for Functional Nanostructures, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany); Institute of Nanotechnology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), 76128 Karlsruhe (Germany)

    2015-03-30

    The pronounced temperature dependence of up-conversion luminescence from nanoparticles doped with rare-earth elements enables local temperature measurements. By mixing these nanoparticles into a commercially available photoresist containing the low-fluorescence photo-initiator Irgacure 369, and by using three-dimensional direct laser writing, we show that micrometer sized local temperature sensors can be positioned lithographically as desired. Positioning is possible in pre-structured environments, e.g., within buried microfluidic channels or on optical or electronic chips. We use the latter as an example and demonstrate the measurement for both free space and waveguide-coupled excitation and detection. For the free space setting, we achieve a temperature standard deviation of 0.5 K at a time resolution of 1 s.

  9. Three-dimensional micro-printing of temperature sensors based on up-conversion luminescence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wickberg, Andreas; Mueller, Jonathan B.; Mange, Yatin J.; Nann, Thomas; Fischer, Joachim; Wegener, Martin

    2015-01-01

    The pronounced temperature dependence of up-conversion luminescence from nanoparticles doped with rare-earth elements enables local temperature measurements. By mixing these nanoparticles into a commercially available photoresist containing the low-fluorescence photo-initiator Irgacure 369, and by using three-dimensional direct laser writing, we show that micrometer sized local temperature sensors can be positioned lithographically as desired. Positioning is possible in pre-structured environments, e.g., within buried microfluidic channels or on optical or electronic chips. We use the latter as an example and demonstrate the measurement for both free space and waveguide-coupled excitation and detection. For the free space setting, we achieve a temperature standard deviation of 0.5 K at a time resolution of 1 s

  10. Localized surface plasmons modulated nonlinear optical processes in metal film-coupled and upconversion nanocrystals-coated nanoparticles (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Dangyuan

    2016-09-01

    In the first part of this talk, I will show our experimental investigation on the linear and nonlinear optical properties of metal film-coupled nanosphere monomers and dimers both with nanometric gaps. We have developed a new methodology - polarization resolved spectral decomposition and color decoding to "visualizing" unambiguously the spectral and radiation properties of the complex plasmonic gap modes in these hybrid nanostructures. Single-particle spectroscopic measurements indicate that these hybrid nanostructures can simultaneously enhance several nonlinear optical processes, such as second harmonic generation, two-photon absorption induced luminescence, and hyper-Raman scattering. In the second part, I will show how the polarization state of the emissions from sub-10 nm upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) can be modulated when they form a hybrid complex with a gold nanorod (GNR). Our single-particle scattering experiments expose how an interplay between excitation polarization and GNR orientation gives rise to an extraordinary polarized nature of the upconversion emissions from an individual hybrid nanostructure. We support our results by numerical simulations and, using Förster resonance energy transfer theory, we uncover how an overlap between the UCNC emission and GNR extinction bands as well as the mutual orientation between emission and plasmonic dipoles jointly determine the polarization state of the UC emissions.

  11. Single nickel-related defects in molecular-sized nanodiamonds for multicolor bioimaging: an ab initio study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiering, Gergő; Londero, Elisa; Gali, Adam

    2014-09-01

    Fluorescent nanodiamonds constitute an outstanding alternative to semiconductor quantum dots and dye molecules for in vivo biomarker applications, where the fluorescence comes from optically active point defects acting as color centers in the nanodiamonds. For practical purposes, these color centers should be photostable as a function of the laser power or the surface termination of nanodiamonds. Furthermore, they should exhibit a sharp and nearly temperature-independent zero-phonon line. In this study, we show by hybrid density functional theory calculations that nickel doped nanodiamonds exhibit the desired properties, thus opening the avenue to practical applications. In particular, harnessing the strong quantum confinement effect in molecule-sized nanodiamonds is very promising for achieving multicolor imaging by single nickel-related defects.

  12. Single nickel-related defects in molecular-sized nanodiamonds for multicolor bioimaging: an ab initio study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thiering, Gergő; Londero, Elisa; Gali, Adam

    2014-10-21

    Fluorescent nanodiamonds constitute an outstanding alternative to semiconductor quantum dots and dye molecules for in vivo biomarker applications, where the fluorescence comes from optically active point defects acting as color centers in the nanodiamonds. For practical purposes, these color centers should be photostable as a function of the laser power or the surface termination of nanodiamonds. Furthermore, they should exhibit a sharp and nearly temperature-independent zero-phonon line. In this study, we show by hybrid density functional theory calculations that nickel doped nanodiamonds exhibit the desired properties, thus opening the avenue to practical applications. In particular, harnessing the strong quantum confinement effect in molecule-sized nanodiamonds is very promising for achieving multicolor imaging by single nickel-related defects.

  13. Riboflavin photoactivation by upconversion nanoparticles for cancer treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khaydukov, E. V.; Mironova, K. E.; Semchishen, V. A.; Generalova, A. N.; Nechaev, A. V.; Khochenkov, D. A.; Stepanova, E. V.; Lebedev, O. I.; Zvyagin, A. V.; Deyev, S. M.; Panchenko, V. Ya.

    2016-10-01

    Riboflavin (Rf) is a vitamin and endogenous photosensitizer capable to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) under UV-blue irradiation and kill cancer cells, which are characterized by the enhanced uptake of Rf. We confirmed its phototoxicity on human breast adenocarcinoma cells SK-BR-3 preincubated with 30-μM Rf and irradiated with ultraviolet light, and proved that such Rf concentrations (60 μM) are attainable in vivo in tumour site by systemic intravascular injection. In order to extend the Rf photosensitization depth in cancer tissue to 6 mm in depth, we purpose-designed core/shell upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs, NaYF4:Yb3+:Tm3+/NaYF4) capable to convert 2% of the deeply-penetrating excitation at 975 nm to ultraviolet-blue power. This power was expended to photosensitise Rf and kill SK-BR-3 cells preincubated with UCNPs and Rf, where the UCNP-Rf energy transfer was photon-mediated with ~14% Förster process contribution. SK-BR-3 xenograft regression in mice was observed for 50 days, following the Rf-UCNPs peritumoural injection and near-infrared light photodynamic treatment of the lesions.

  14. Seed-mediated synthesis of NaY F4:Y b, Er/NaGdF4 nanocrystals with improved upconversion fluorescence and MR relaxivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Hai; Li Zhengquan; Qian Haisheng; Hu Yong; Muhammad, Idris Niagara

    2010-01-01

    Rational combination of different functional lanthanide materials within a single nanocrystal presents a feasible way to develop a multifunctional nanoplatform for various biomedical applications. The conventional methods of synthesizing and integrating two kinds of material together generally involve laborious procedures, whilst codoping different functional ions inside a single lanthanide nanocrystal usually results in a decrease in both its fluorescence and its magnetic resonance relaxivity. Here, we present a seed-mediated synthetic route to prepare core-shell structured NaY F 4 :Y b, Er/NaGdF 4 nanocrystals. Epitaxial growth of a gadolinium layer on an upconversion lanthanide seed not only improves its upconversion fluorescence, but also creates a paramagnetic shell with high magnetic resonance relaxivity. The prepared nanocrystals are uniform in size, stable in water and easy for conjugation after modification, which may have the potential to serve as a versatile imaging tool for smart detection or diagnosis in future biomedical engineering.

  15. Upconversion and tribological properties of β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er film synthesized on silicon substrate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Chuanying [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); Cheng, Xianhua, E-mail: xhcheng@sjtu.edu.cn [School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240 (China); State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000 (China)

    2016-05-15

    Highlights: • β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er upconversion (UC) film was synthesized on silicon substrate. • Tribological test was used to qualitatively evaluate the adhesion of the UC film. • The UC film was combined with Si substrate by covalent chemical bonds. • The method used in this work can be applicable for other UC films. - Abstract: In this work, β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er upconversion (UC) film was successfully prepared on silicon (Si) substrate via self-assemble method for the first time. The chemical composition and surface morphology of the UC film were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), water contact angle (WCA), X-ray power diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. To investigate the effects of KH-560 primer film and chemical reactions on the UC luminescence properties of β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er UC film, decay profiles of the 540 nm and 655 nm radiations were measured. Furthermore, tribological test was applied to qualitatively evaluate the adhesion of the UC film. The results indicate that the UC film has been successfully prepared on Si substrate by covalent chemical bonds. This work provides a facile way to synthesize β-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Er UC film with robust adhesion to the substrate, which can be applicable for other UC films.

  16. Highly sensitive detection of lead(II) ion using multicolor CdTe quantum dots

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhong, W.; Zhang, C.; Gao, Q.; Li, H.

    2012-01-01

    Multicolor and water-soluble CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were synthesized with thioglycolic acid (TGA) as stabilizer. These QDs have a good size distribution, display high fluorescence quantum yield, and can be applied to the ultrasensitive detection of Pb(II) ion by virtue of their quenching effect. The size of the QDs exerts a strong effect on sensitivity, and quenching of luminescence is most effective for the smallest particles. The quenching mechanism is discussed. Fairly selective detection was accomplished by utilizing QDs with a diameter of 1. 6 nm which resulted in a detection limit of 4. 7 nmol L -1 concentration of Pb(II). The method was successfully applied to the determination of Pb(II) in spinach and citrus leaves, and the results are in good agreement with those obtained with atomic absorption spectrometry. (author)

  17. Broadband upconversion imaging around 4 μm using an all-fiber supercontinuum source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huot, Laurent; Moselund, Peter M.; Leick, Lasse; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter; Pedersen, Christian

    2017-02-01

    We present a novel mid-infrared imaging system born from the combination of an all-fiber mid-IR supercontinuum source developed at NKT with ultra-sensitive upconversion detection technology from DTU Fotonik. The source delivers 100 mW of average power and its spectrum extends up to 4.5 μm. The infrared signal is passed through a sample and then focused into a bulk AgGaS2 crystal and subsequently mixed with a synchronous mixing signal at 1550 nm extracted from the pump laser of the supercontinuum. Through sum frequency generation, an upconverted signal ranging from 1030 nm to 1155 nm is generated and acquired using an InGaAs camera.

  18. Development of multi-color scintillator based X-ray image intensifier

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nittoh, Koichi; Konagai, Chikara; Noji, Takashi

    2004-01-01

    A multi-color scintillator based high-sensitive, wide dynamic range and long-life X-ray image intensifier has been developed. An europium activated Y 2 O 2 S scintillator, emitting red, green and blue photons of different intensities, is utilized as the output fluorescent screen of the intensifier. By combining this image intensifier with a suitably tuned high sensitive color CCD camera, it is possible for a sensitivity of the red color component to become six times higher than that of the conventional image intensifier. Simultaneous emission of a moderate green color and a weak blue color covers different sensitivity regions. This widens the dynamic range, by nearly two orders of ten. With this image intensifier, it is possible to image simultaneously complex objects containing various different X-ray transmission from paper, water or plastic to heavy metals. This high sensitivity intensifier, operated at lower X-ray exposure, causes less degradation of scintillator materials and less colorization of output screen glass, and thus helps achieve a longer lifetime. This color scintillator based image intensifier is being introduced for X-ray inspection in various fields

  19. Multi-color single particle tracking with quantum dots.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva C Arnspang

    Full Text Available Quantum dots (QDs have long promised to revolutionize fluorescence detection to include even applications requiring simultaneous multi-species detection at single molecule sensitivity. Despite the early promise, the unique optical properties of QDs have not yet been fully exploited in e. g. multiplex single molecule sensitivity applications such as single particle tracking (SPT. In order to fully optimize single molecule multiplex application with QDs, we have in this work performed a comprehensive quantitative investigation of the fluorescence intensities, fluorescence intensity fluctuations, and hydrodynamic radii of eight types of commercially available water soluble QDs. In this study, we show that the fluorescence intensity of CdSe core QDs increases as the emission of the QDs shifts towards the red but that hybrid CdSe/CdTe core QDs are less bright than the furthest red-shifted CdSe QDs. We further show that there is only a small size advantage in using blue-shifted QDs in biological applications because of the additional size of the water-stabilizing surface coat. Extending previous work, we finally also show that parallel four color multicolor (MC-SPT with QDs is possible at an image acquisition rate of at least 25 Hz. We demonstrate the technique by measuring the lateral dynamics of a lipid, biotin-cap-DPPE, in the cellular plasma membrane of live cells using four different colors of QDs; QD565, QD605, QD655, and QD705 as labels.

  20. Multicolor microRNA FISH effectively differentiates tumor types

    Science.gov (United States)

    Renwick, Neil; Cekan, Pavol; Masry, Paul A.; McGeary, Sean E.; Miller, Jason B.; Hafner, Markus; Li, Zhen; Mihailovic, Aleksandra; Morozov, Pavel; Brown, Miguel; Gogakos, Tasos; Mobin, Mehrpouya B.; Snorrason, Einar L.; Feilotter, Harriet E.; Zhang, Xiao; Perlis, Clifford S.; Wu, Hong; Suárez-Fariñas, Mayte; Feng, Huichen; Shuda, Masahiro; Moore, Patrick S.; Tron, Victor A.; Chang, Yuan; Tuschl, Thomas

    2013-01-01

    MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are excellent tumor biomarkers because of their cell-type specificity and abundance. However, many miRNA detection methods, such as real-time PCR, obliterate valuable visuospatial information in tissue samples. To enable miRNA visualization in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues, we developed multicolor miRNA FISH. As a proof of concept, we used this method to differentiate two skin tumors, basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), with overlapping histologic features but distinct cellular origins. Using sequencing-based miRNA profiling and discriminant analysis, we identified the tumor-specific miRNAs miR-205 and miR-375 in BCC and MCC, respectively. We addressed three major shortcomings in miRNA FISH, identifying optimal conditions for miRNA fixation and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) retention using model compounds and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses, enhancing signal amplification and detection by increasing probe-hapten linker lengths, and improving probe specificity using shortened probes with minimal rRNA sequence complementarity. We validated our method on 4 BCC and 12 MCC tumors. Amplified miR-205 and miR-375 signals were normalized against directly detectable reference rRNA signals. Tumors were classified using predefined cutoff values, and all were correctly identified in blinded analysis. Our study establishes a reliable miRNA FISH technique for parallel visualization of differentially expressed miRNAs in FFPE tumor tissues. PMID:23728175

  1. Versatile single-molecule multi-color excitation and detection fluorescence setup for studying biomolecular dynamics

    KAUST Repository

    Sobhy, M. A.

    2011-11-07

    Single-molecule fluorescence imaging is at the forefront of tools applied to study biomolecular dynamics both in vitro and in vivo. The ability of the single-molecule fluorescence microscope to conduct simultaneous multi-color excitation and detection is a key experimental feature that is under continuous development. In this paper, we describe in detail the design and the construction of a sophisticated and versatile multi-color excitation and emission fluorescence instrument for studying biomolecular dynamics at the single-molecule level. The setup is novel, economical and compact, where two inverted microscopes share a laser combiner module with six individual laser sources that extend from 400 to 640 nm. Nonetheless, each microscope can independently and in a flexible manner select the combinations, sequences, and intensities of the excitation wavelengths. This high flexibility is achieved by the replacement of conventional mechanical shutters with acousto-optic tunable filter (AOTF). The use of AOTF provides major advancement by controlling the intensities, duration, and selection of up to eight different wavelengths with microsecond alternation time in a transparent and easy manner for the end user. To our knowledge this is the first time AOTF is applied to wide-field total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy even though it has been commonly used in multi-wavelength confocal microscopy. The laser outputs from the combiner module are coupled to the microscopes by two sets of four single-mode optic fibers in order to allow for the optimization of the TIRF angle for each wavelength independently. The emission is split into two or four spectral channels to allow for the simultaneous detection of up to four different fluorophores of wide selection and using many possible excitation and photoactivation schemes. We demonstrate the performance of this new setup by conducting two-color alternating excitation single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy

  2. Synthesis of green emission upconversion phosphor nanosheets (LaNb{sub 2}O{sub 7}) doped with Er{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+}

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Takasugi, Soichi [Course of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan); Iida, Riku [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan); Tomita, Koji, E-mail: tomita@keyaki.cc.u-tokai.ac.jp [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan); Iwaoka, Michio [Course of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan); Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tokai University, 4-1-1 Kitakaname, Hiratsuka, Kanagawa 259-1292 (Japan); Katagiri, Kiyofumi [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, 1-4-1 Kagamiyama, Higashi-Hiroshima 739-8527 (Japan); Osada, Minoru [International Center for Materials Nano architectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan); Kakihana, Masato [Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials (IMRAM), Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan)

    2016-05-15

    LaNb{sub 2}O{sub 7}:Er{sup 3+},Yb{sup 3+} upconversion (UPC) phosphor nanosheets were prepared by exfoliating a KLaNb{sub 2}O{sub 7}:Er{sup 3+},Yb{sup 3+} layered compound. Highly crystalline nanosheets with a thickness and lateral size of 3.91 nm and approximately 300 nm, respectively, were obtained. The UPC emission intensity of the nanosheets was 7.6 times greater than that of mechanically milled particles (100–500 nm) of bulk KLaNb{sub 2}O{sub 7}:Er{sup 3+},Yb{sup 3+}. The UPC emission intensities of the nanosheets dispersed in different solvents (H{sub 2}O, D{sub 2}O, CH{sub 3}OH, CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}, and CCl{sub 4}) were measured, and the intensities were observed to decrease in the order CCl{sub 4}>CH{sub 2}Cl{sub 2}>D{sub 2}O>CH{sub 3}OH>H{sub 2}O. Because of the large surface area of the nanosheets, their emission intensity was decreased depending on the solvent's vibrational energy. - Highlights: • La{sub 0.45}Er{sub 0.05}Yb{sub 0.5}Nb{sub 2}O{sub 7} nanosheets were synthesized by a soft breakdown method (exfoliation). • The lateral size and thickness of the nanosheets were approximately 300 nm and approximately 3.91 nm, respectively. • The exfoliated nanosheets exhibited bright upconversion emission 7.6 times more intense than that of the milled sample (100–500 nm). • The nanosheets dispersed in solvents exhibited greatly different upconversion emission intensities depending on the solvent's vibrational energy.

  3. Visibly Pushdown Automata

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Srba, Jiri

    2006-01-01

    We investigate the possibility of (bi)simulation-like preorder/equivalence checking on the class of visibly pushdown automata and its natural subclasses visibly BPA (Basic Process Algebra) and visibly one-counter automata. We describe generic methods for proving complexity upper and lower bounds...... for a number of studied preorders and equivalences like simulation, completed simulation, ready simulation, 2-nested simulation preorders/equivalences and bisimulation equivalence. Our main results are that all the mentioned equivalences and preorders are EXPTIME-complete on visibly pushdown automata, PSPACE......-complete on visibly one-counter automata and P-complete on visibly BPA. Our PSPACE lower bound for visibly one-counter automata improves also the previously known DP-hardness results for ordinary one-counter automata and one-counter nets. Finally, we study regularity checking problems for visibly pushdown automata...

  4. Efficient multicolor tunability of ultrasmall ternary-doped LaF3 nanoparticles: energy conversion and magnetic behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shrivastava, Navadeep; Khan, L U; Vargas, J M; Ospina, Carlos; Coaquira, J A Q; Zoppellaro, Giorgio; Brito, H F; Javed, Yasir; Shukla, D K; Felinto, M C F C; Sharma, Surender K

    2017-07-19

    Luminescence-tunable multicolored LaF 3 :xCe 3+ ,xGd 3+ ,yEu 3+ (x = 5; y = 1, 5, 10, and 15 mol%) nanoparticles have been synthesized via a low cost polyol method. Powder X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy studies confirm the hexagonal phase of the LaF 3 :xCe 3+ ,xGd 3+ ,yEu 3+ nanophosphors with average sizes (oval shape) ranging from 5 to 7 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses show the uniform distribution of Ce 3+ , Gd 3+ , and Eu 3+ dopants in the LaF 3 host matrix. The photoluminescence spectra and electron paramagnetic resonance measurements guarantee the presence of Eu 2+ , corroborated through DC susceptibility measurements of the samples displaying paramagnetic behavior at 300 K, whereas weak ferromagnetic ordering is shown at 2 K. The non-radiative energy transfer processes from the 4f( 2 F 5/2 ) → 5d state (Ce 3+ ) to the intraconfigurational 4f excited levels of rare earth ions and simultaneous emissions in the visible region from the 4f 6 5d 1 (Eu 2+ ) and 5 D 0 (Eu 3+ ) emitting levels, leading to overlapped broad and narrow emission bands, have been proclaimed. The energy transfer mechanism proposes involvement of the Gd 3+ ion sub-lattice as the bridge and finally trapping by Eu 2+/3+ , upon excitation of the Ce 3+ ion. The calculation of experimental intensity parameters (Ω 2,4 ) has been discussed and the highest emission quantum efficiency (η = 85%) of the Eu 3+ ion for the y = 10 mol% sample is reported. The advantageous existence of the Eu 2+ /Eu 3+ ratio along with variously doped nanomaterials described in this work, results in tunable emission color in the blue-white-red regions, highlighting the potential application of the samples in solid-state lighting devices, scintillation devices, and multiplex detection.

  5. One-pot synthesis of hollow structured upconversion luminescent β-NaYF4:Yb0.2Er0.02 nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Qinglong; Pei, Jianfeng; De, Gejihu

    2014-01-01

    Monodisperse, uniform, and hollow structured hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride nanoparticles co-doped with Yb 3+ and Er 3+ (NaYF 4 :Yb 3+ , Er 3+ ) were successfully prepared by a facile one-pot thermal decomposition route. The crystal structure, morphology and upconversion spectra of the sample were investigated using X-ray powder diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, and fluorescence spectrophotometer with an external 980 nm single-wavelength diode laser. The synthesized nanoparticles were easily dispersed in nonpolar solvents, showed an extremely narrow particle distribution, and were determined to have a diameter about (14.3)±(1.1) nm. Moreover, the nanoparticles were dispersed in water via modification of the capping oleic acid ligand by HCl. To the synthesis of such monidisperse, water-soluble, hollow structured lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles may lead to potential applications in drug delivery and bioimaging. - Highlights: • Hollow structured hexagonal NaYF 4 :Yb 0.2 Er 0.02 luminescent nanoparticles were prepared by a facile one-pot thermal decomposition route. • HCl was used to render the nanoparticles to water solubility. • The bright green light and transparent solution indicate that as-treated water-soluble nanoparticles may lead to potential applications in drug delivery and bioimaging

  6. Recent Advance of Biological Molecular Imaging Based on Lanthanide-Doped Upconversion-Luminescent Nanomaterials

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanzeng Min

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Lanthanide-doped upconversion-luminescent nanoparticles (UCNPs, which can be excited by near-infrared (NIR laser irradiation to emit multiplex light, have been proven to be very useful for in vitro and in vivo molecular imaging studies. In comparison with the conventionally used down-conversion fluorescence imaging strategies, the NIR light excited luminescence of UCNPs displays high photostability, low cytotoxicity, little background auto-fluorescence, which allows for deep tissue penetration, making them attractive as contrast agents for biomedical imaging applications. In this review, we will mainly focus on the latest development of a new type of lanthanide-doped UCNP material and its main applications for in vitro and in vivo molecular imaging and we will also discuss the challenges and future perspectives.

  7. Synthesis, Structural Characterization and Up-Conversion Luminescence Properties of NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+@MOFs Nanocomposites

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giang, Lam Thi Kieu; Marciniak, Lukasz; Huy, Tran Quang; Vu, Nguyen; Le, Ngo Thi Hong; Binh, Nguyen Thanh; Lam, Tran Dai; Minh, Le Quoc

    2017-10-01

    This paper describes a facile synthesis of NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+ nanoparticles embraced in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), known as NaYF4:Er3+, Yb3+@MOFs core/shell nanostructures, by using iron(III) carboxylate (MIL-100) and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8). Morphological, structural and optical characterization of these nanostructures were investigated by field emission-scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and up-conversion luminescence measurements. Results showed that spherical-shaped NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+@MIL-100 nanocomposites with diameters of 150-250 nm, and rod-shaped NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+@ZIF-8 nanocomposites with lengths of 300-550 nm, were successfully synthesized. Under a 980-nm laser excitation at room temperature, the NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+@MOFs nanocomposites exhibited strong up-conversion luminescence with two emission bands in the green part of spectrum at 520 nm and 540 nm corresponding to the 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 and 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transitions of Er3+ ions, respectively, and a red emission band at 655 nm corresponding to the 4F9/2 → 4I15/2 transition of Er3+ ions. The above properties of NaYF4:Er3+,Yb3+@MOFs make them promising candidates for applications in biotechnology.

  8. Phthalocyanine-conjugated upconversion NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+@SiO2 nanospheres for NIR-triggered photodynamic therapy in a tumor mouse model

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kostiv, Uliana; Patsula, Vitalii; Noculak, A.; Podhorodecki, A.; Větvička, D.; Poučková, P.; Sedláková, Zdeňka; Horák, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 12, Issue 24 (2017), s. 2066-2073 ISSN 1860-7179 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-01897S Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : upconversion nanospheres * phthalocyanine * photodynamic therapy Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry OBOR OECD: Polymer science Impact factor: 3.225, year: 2016

  9. A methodology for low-speed broadband rotational energy harvesting using piezoelectric transduction and frequency up-conversion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Hailing; Yeatman, Eric M.

    2017-01-01

    Energy harvesting from vibration for low-power electronics has been investigated intensively in recent years, but rotational energy harvesting is less investigated and still has some challenges. In this paper, a methodology for low-speed rotational energy harvesting using piezoelectric transduction and frequency up-conversion is analysed. The system consists of a piezoelectric cantilever beam with a tip magnet and a rotating magnet on a revolving host. The angular kinetic energy of the host is transferred to the vibration energy of the piezoelectric beam via magnetic coupling between the magnets. Frequency up-conversion is achieved by magnetic plucking, converting low frequency rotation into high frequency vibration of the piezoelectric beam. A distributed-parameter theoretical model is presented to analyse the electromechanical behaviour of the rotational energy harvester. Different configurations and design parameters were investigated to improve the output power of the device. Experimental studies were conducted to validate the theoretical estimation. The results illustrate that the proposed method is a feasible solution to collecting low-speed rotational energy from ambient hosts, such as vehicle tires, micro-turbines and wristwatches. - Highlights: • A topology to harvest low-frequency broad-band rotational energy is studied. • Different configurations were considered; arrangement (a)-repulsive was the best. • Theoretical analysis shows the harvester has a wide bandwidth at low frequency. • The ripples of output power are related to the beam's natural frequency. • Experimental results show a good performance (over 20 μW) from 15 Hz to 35 Hz.

  10. 3D Rare earth porous coordination frameworks with formamide generated in situ syntheses: Crystal structure and down- and up-conversion luminescence

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma, Xue [Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China); Tian, Jing [Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China); Experiment and Teaching Resource Management Centre, Yibin University, Yibin, 644000 (China); Yang, Hong-Y.; Zhao, Kai [Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China); Li, Xia, E-mail: xiali@mail.cnu.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048 (China)

    2013-05-01

    The reaction of RE(NO)₃·6H₂O and formamide yielded the coordination polymers, [RE(HCOO)₄]⁻[NH₂CHNH₂]⁺ (RE=Y 1, Eu 2, Gd 3, Tb 4, Dy 5, Er 6, and Yb 7). They possess 3D porous frameworks with the 1D rhombic channels occupied by [NH₂CHNH₂]⁺ cations. Complexes 2 and 4 display the characteristic down-conversion emissions corresponding to ⁵D₀→⁷FJ (J=1–4) transitions of Eu(III) ion and ⁵D₄→⁷FJ (J=6–3) transitions of Tb(III) ion, respectively. Longer lifetime values of 2.128±0.002 ms (⁵D₀) for 2 and 2.132±0.002 ms (⁵D₄) for 4 have been observed. The up-conversion spectra of the Y:Yb,Er and Gd:Yb,Er codoped complexes exhibit three emission bands around 410 (⁴H9/2→⁴I15/2, blue), 518–570 (⁴S3/2, ²H11/2→⁴I15/2, green), and 655 nm (⁴F9/2→⁴I15/2, red). - Graphical Abstract: The complexes [RE(HCOO)₄]⁻[NH₂CHNH₂]⁺ possess 3D porous frameworks. Eu(III) and Tb(III) complexes show characteristic emission of Ln(III) ions. The up-conversion emission of the Y:Yb,Er and Gd:Yb,Er codoped complexes was observed. Highlights: •The reaction of RE(NO)₃·6H₂O and formamide produced complexes [RE(HCOO)₄]⁻[NH₂CHNH₂]⁺. • The complexes possess 3D frameworks with the 1D channels occupied by [NH₂CHNH₂]+ cations. • Eu(III)/Tb(III) complexes display the characteristic down-conversion emission of Ln(III) ions. • The Y:Yb,Er and Gd:Yb,Er doped complexes exhibit the up-conversion emission.

  11. Effect of various surfactants on changes in the emission color chromaticity in upconversion YVO4: Yb3+, Er3+ nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woźny, Przemysław; Szczeszak, Agata; Lis, Stefan

    2018-02-01

    YVO4: Yb3+,Er3+ upconverting nanocrystals were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using different compounds as surfactants. Structure and morphology of the nanocrystals were investigated by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Tetragonal crystal structure of the nanocrystals appeared irrespective of the type of surfactant used. The average crystallite size was estimated by TEM images. The obtained products were composed of small nanoparticles, in the size range of 10-60 nm, depending on the surfactant used. The morphology of the nanoparticles was also regulated by the type of surfactant. Spectroscopic analysis of the materials obtained was carried out by measuring the emission and excitation spectra and the intensity of luminescence as a function of laser energy and luminescence decays. The nanocrystals prepared exhibited a green upconversion emission attributed to the 2H11/2 → 4I15/2 and 4S3/2 → 4I15/2 transitions of Er3+, under NIR (985 nm) pulse laser irradiation, and their emission lifetimes were in the range 3.84-4.90 μs. On the basis of the spectroscopic investigation, the upconversion mechanism was proposed and chromaticity coordinates were calculated. Surfactants were found to influence on chromaticity of luminescence.

  12. Upconversion improvement in KLaF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} nanoparticles by doping Al{sup 3+} ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Haifang [Fuzhou University, School of Physics and Information Engineering, and Institute of Micro-Nano Devices and Solar Cells, Fuzhou (China); Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center of Photovoltaic Science and Engineering, Changzhou, Jiangsu (China); Wang, Xiechun; Lai, Yunfeng; Cheng, Shuying; Zheng, Qiao; Yu, Jinlin [Fuzhou University, School of Physics and Information Engineering, and Institute of Micro-Nano Devices and Solar Cells, Fuzhou (China)

    2017-10-15

    Rare-earth ion-doped upconversion (UC) materials show great potential applications in optical and optoelectronic devices due to their novel optical properties. In this work, hexagonal KLaF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} nanoparticles (NPs) were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal method, and remarkably enhanced upconversion luminescence in green and red emission bands in KLaF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} NPs has been achieved by doping Al{sup 3+} ions under 980 nm excitation. Compared to the aluminum-free KLaF{sub 4}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} NPs sample, the UC fluorescence intensities of the green and red emissions of NPs doped with 10 at.% Al{sup 3+} ions were significantly enhanced by 5.9 and 7.3 times, respectively. Longer lifetimes of the doped samples were observed for the {sup 4}S{sub 3/2} state and {sup 4}F{sub 9/2} state. The underlying reason for the UC enhancement by doping Al{sup 3+} ions was mainly ascribed to distortion of the local symmetry around Er{sup 3+} ions and adsorption reduction of organic ligands on the surface of NPs. In addition, the influence of doping Al{sup 3+} ions on the structure and morphology of the NPs samples was also discussed. (orig.)

  13. Decorating multi-walled carbon nanotubes with quantum dots for construction of multi-color fluorescent nanoprobes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jia Nengqin; Lian Qiong; Tian Zhong; Yin Min; Che, Shouhui; Shen Hebai; Duan Xin; Jing Lihong; Gao Mingyuan

    2010-01-01

    Novel multi-color fluorescent nanoprobes were prepared by electrostatically assembling differently sized CdTe quantum dots on polyethylenimine (PEI) functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs). The structural and optical properties of the nano-assemblies (MWNTs-PEI-CdTe) were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron diffraction spectra (EDS), Raman spectroscopy, confocal microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was also applied to investigate the electrostatic assembling among oxidized MWNTs, PEI and CdTe. Furthermore, confocal fluorescence microscopy was used to monitor the nano-assemblies' delivery into tumor cells. It was found that the nano-assemblies exhibit efficient intracellular transporting and strong intracellular tracking. These properties would make this luminescent nano-assembly an excellent building block for the construction of intracellular nanoprobes, which could hold great promise for biomedical applications.

  14. Developing upconversion nanoparticle-based smart substrates for remote temperature sensing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coker, Zachary; Marble, Kassie; Alkahtani, Masfer; Hemmer, Philip; Yakovlev, Vladislav V.

    2018-02-01

    Recent developments in understanding of nanomaterial behaviors and synthesis have led to their application across a wide range of commercial and scientific applications. Recent investigations span from applications in nanomedicine and the development of novel drug delivery systems to nanoelectronics and biosensors. In this study, we propose the application of a newly engineered temperature sensitive water-based bio-compatible core/shell up-conversion nanoparticle (UCNP) in the development of a smart substrate for remote temperature sensing. We developed this smart substrate by dispersing functionalized nanoparticles into a polymer solution and then spin-coating the solution onto one side of a microscope slide to form a thin film substrate layer of evenly dispersed nanoparticles. By using spin-coating to deposit the particle solution we both create a uniform surface for the substrate while simultaneously avoid undesired particle agglomeration. Through this investigation, we have determined the sensitivity and capabilities of this smart substrate and conclude that further development can lead to a greater range of applications for this type smart substrate and use in remote temperature sensing in conjunction with other microscopy and spectroscopy investigations.

  15. Analyzing Visibility Configurations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dachsbacher, C

    2011-04-01

    Many algorithms, such as level of detail rendering and occlusion culling methods, make decisions based on the degree of visibility of an object, but do not analyze the distribution, or structure, of the visible and occluded regions across surfaces. We present an efficient method to classify different visibility configurations and show how this can be used on top of existing methods based on visibility determination. We adapt co-occurrence matrices for visibility analysis and generalize them to operate on clusters of triangular surfaces instead of pixels. We employ machine learning techniques to reliably classify the thus extracted feature vectors. Our method allows perceptually motivated level of detail methods for real-time rendering applications by detecting configurations with expected visual masking. We exemplify the versatility of our method with an analysis of area light visibility configurations in ray tracing and an area-to-area visibility analysis suitable for hierarchical radiosity refinement. Initial results demonstrate the robustness, simplicity, and performance of our method in synthetic scenes, as well as real applications.

  16. Facile synthesis of NaYF4:Yb, Ln/NaYF4:Yb core/shell upconversion nanoparticles via successive ion layer adsorption and one-pot reaction technique

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zeng, Q.; Xue, B.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, D.; Liu, X.; Tu, L.; Zhao, H.; Kong, X.; Zhang, H.

    2013-01-01

    The facile one-pot synthesis of NaYF4:Yb, Ln/NaYF4:Yb core/shell (CS) upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) was firstly developed through the successive ion layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) technique, which represents an attractive alternative to conventional synthesis utilizing the chloride of Ln

  17. Study on upconversion luminescence and thermal properties of Ho{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped La{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}–ZrO{sub 2} glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Minghui; Wen, Haiqin [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050 (China); Yu, Huimei [Analysis and Testing Center of Inorganic Materials, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050 (China); Ai, Fei [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050 (China); Shao, Hui [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang, 212003 (China); Pan, Xiuhong; Tang, Meibo; Yu, Jianding; Gai, Lijun [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050 (China); Liu, Yan, E-mail: liuyan@mail.sic.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050 (China)

    2016-07-05

    Bulk Ho{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped La{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}–ZrO{sub 2} glass spheres were fabricated by aerodynamic levitation method. High concentration of Yb{sup 3+} ions was successfully doped in glasses. The effects of Yb{sup 3+} concentration on mechanical properties, Raman, absorption spectra, thermal stability, and glass forming ability were studied systematically. Green, red, and infrared emissions centered at 550, 662, and 758 nm were obtained at 980 nm excitation. Yellow light from glass spheres can be easily observed by naked eyes. As Yb{sup 3+} concentration increases, the upconversion luminescence can be improved obviously. The upconversion luminescence mechanism is a two-photon process of energy transfer, excited state absorption, and energy back transfer. The emission intensity can be enhanced in the samples with high Yb{sup 3+} concentration, since the absorption for the incident laser and the energy transfer efficiency are increased, and the nonradiative relaxation probability is reduced. The light color referring to the ratio for red to green emissions can be tuned by Yb{sup 3+} concentration. Ho{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} co-doped La{sub 2}O{sub 3}–TiO{sub 2}–ZrO{sub 2} glasses show promising comprehensive properties and are helpful to speed the application of upconversion luminescence materials. - Highlights: • Ho{sup 3+}/Yb{sup 3+} doped titanate glasses are prepared by containerless processing. • The effects of Yb{sup 3+} on thermal and mechanical properties have been studied. • High concentration of Yb{sup 3+} is favorable to upconversion luminescence. • The mechanisms are energy transfer, excited state absorption, energy back transfer.

  18. ZnMoO4:Er3+,Yb3+ phosphor with controlled morphology and enhanced upconversion through alkali ions doping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luitel, Hom Nath; Chand, Rumi; Watari, Takanori

    2018-04-01

    A facile hydrothermal method was used to synthesize ZnMoO4:Er3+,Yb3+ nanoparticles. The shapes and sizes of the nanoparticles were well tuned by simply monitoring the pH of the starting solution. Microballs consisting of agglomerated nanograins were observed at strong acidic condition. At mild pH, plates and rectangular particles were realized, while strong basic pH stabilized rods. Further increasing pH to extremely basic conditions (pH > 13), rods changed to fragile hairy structures. The nucleation and growth mechanism of nanograins to form different morphology nanoparticles were studied and illustrated. XRD patterns confirmed well crystalline, triclinic structure despite small amount of aliovalent metal ions doping. Under 980 nm excitation, the ZnMoO4:Er3+,Yb3+ nanophosphor exhibited strong green (centered at 530 and 560 nm) and weak red (centered at 660 nm) upconversion (UC) emissions. Substitution of part of the Zn2+ ions by monovalent alkali ions intensified the UC emission intensities drastically. The order of intensification was K+>Na+>Li+>Rb+>no alkali ion. When Zn2+ ions were substituted with 10 at% K+ ions, the green and red UC emissions intensities increased by more than 50 and 15 folds, respectively. Time dependent measurements confirmed efficient Yb to Er energy transfer in the ZnMoO4:Er3+,Yb3+,K+ nanophosphor. The optimized ZnMoO4:Er3+,Yb3+,K+ phosphor exhibited intense UC emissions with 0.31% quantum yield. The upconverted light is visible to naked eye while pumping by laser of less than 1 mW power and opens door for variety of novel applications.

  19. A near-infrared luminescent Mn2+-doped NaYF4:Yb,Tm/Fe3+ upconversion nanoparticles redox reaction system for the detection of GSH/Cys/AA.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Liping; Ling, Bo; Wang, Lun; Chen, Hongqi

    2017-09-01

    An upconversion luminescence method was developed for the determination of glutathione (GSH), L-cysteine (Cys) or L-ascorbic acid (AA) based on redox reaction. We synthesized poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)-modified Mn 2+ -doped NaYF 4 :Yb,Tm upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs), and the luminescence of these UCNPs was effectively quenched due to their carboxyl groups coordinating with Fe 3+ to form a UCNPs/Fe 3+ system. GSH, Cys or AA reduced Fe 3+ to Fe 2+ , which induced the luminescence recovery of the UCNPs. Under the optimized conditions, wide linear concentration ranges from 0.25-300μM for GSH, 0.5-875μM for Cys and 0.5-350μM for AA were found, and the detection limits (3S/K) were 0.2μM, 0.5μM and 0.2μM, respectively. Thus, the UCNPs/Fe 3+ system was successfully applied for sensing GSH, Cys or AA. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Multicolor photometry of the nearby galaxy cluster A119

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tian Jintao; Zhou Xu; Jiang Zhaoji; Ma Jun; Wu Zhenyu; Fan Zhou; Zhang Tianmeng; Zou Hu; Yuan Qirong; Wu Jianghua

    2012-01-01

    This paper presents multicolor optical photometry of the nearby galaxy cluster Abell 119 (z = 0.0442) with the Beijing-Arizona-Taiwan-Connecticut system of 15 intermediate bands. Within the BATC field of view of 58' × 58', there are 368 galaxies with known spectroscopic redshifts, including 238 member galaxies (called sample I). Based on the spectral energy distributions of 1376 galaxies brighter than i BATC = 19.5, the photometric redshift technique and the color-magnitude relation of early-type galaxies are applied to select faint member galaxies. As a result, 117 faint galaxies were selected as new member galaxies. Combined with sample I, an enlarged sample (called sample II) of 355 member galaxies is obtained. Spatial distribution and localized velocity structure for two samples demonstrate that A119 is a dynamically complex cluster with at least three prominent substructures in the central region within 1 Mpc. A large velocity dispersion for the central clump indicates a merging along the line of sight. No significant evidence for morphology or luminosity segregations is found in either sample. With the PEGASE evolutionary synthesis model, the environmental effect on the properties of star formation is confirmed. Faint galaxies in the low-density region tend to have longer time scales of star formation, smaller mean stellar ages, and lower metallicities in their interstellar medium, which is in agreement with the context of the hierarchical cosmological scenario. (research papers)

  1. Multicolor Fluorescence Writing Based on Host-Guest Interactions and Force-Induced Fluorescence-Color Memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsunaga, Yuki; Yang, Jye-Shane

    2015-06-26

    A new strategy is reported for multicolor fluorescence writing on thin solid films with mechanical forces. This concept is illustrated by the use of a green-fluorescent pentiptycene derivative 1, which forms variably colored fluorescent exciplexes: a change from yellow to red was observed with anilines, and fluorescence quenching (a change to black) occurred in the presence of benzoquinone. Mechanical forces, such as grinding and shearing, induced a crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition in both the pristine and guest-adsorbed solids that led to a change in the fluorescence color (mechanofluorochromism) and a memory of the resulting color. Fluorescence drawings of five or more colors were created on glass or paper and could be readily erased by exposure to air and dichloromethane fumes. The structural and mechanistic aspects of the observations are also discussed. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  2. Laser Deposition of Polymer Nanocomposite Thin Films and Hard Materials and Their Optical Characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-05

    visible light on instruments such as microscope tips and micro- surgical tools. Hard carbon known as diamond-like carbon films produced by pulsed laser ...visible (610 nm) LED source and a supplemental infra-red 980-nm laser diode (for the studies of the upconversion fluorescence). The basic package...5/2013 Final Performance Report 15 Sep 2012- 14 Sep 2013 LASER DEPOSITION OF POLYMER NANOCOMPOSITE THIN FILMS AND HARD MATERIALS AND THEIR OPTICAL

  3. Controllable synthesis and crystal structure determined upconversion luminescence properties of Tm{sup 3+} (Er{sup 3+}) ions doped YbF{sub 3} and NaYbF{sub 4} crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Tao [Institute of Photonics, Faculty of Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211 (China); Qin, Weiping, E-mail: wpqin@jlu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, College of Electronic Science and Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Zhou, Jun [Institute of Photonics, Faculty of Science, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211 (China)

    2014-04-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • The synthesis of YbF{sub 3} and NaYbF{sub 4} crystals was successfully fulfilled by hydrothermal method. • The phase and morphology of products were adjusted by changing the hydrothermal conditions. • Relatively enhanced ultraviolet upconversion emissions were observed in YbF{sub 3} nanocrystals. • The crystalline phase impact on the upconversion luminescence was systematically studied. - Abstract: The synthesis of YbF{sub 3} and NaYbF{sub 4} crystals was successfully fulfilled by a facial hydrothermal method. The phase and morphology of the products were adjusted by changing the surfactant additive and fluorine source and tuning the pH value of the initial solution. The products with various morphologies range from octahedral nanoparticles, corn-like nanobundles, nanospheres, microrods, and hollow microprisms were prepared at different conditions. The growth mechanism of these products has been systematically studied. Impressively, relatively enhanced high order ultraviolet (UV) upconversion (UC) luminescence was observed in Tm{sup 3+} (Er{sup 3+}) ions doped YbF{sub 3} nanocrystals (NCs) compared with NaYbF{sub 4} microcrystals under the excitation of 980 nm infrared laser. The investigation results reveal that the crystal symmetry of matrix has significant effect on the spectra and lifetimes of the doping lanthanide ions. The simply synthesized water soluble YbF{sub 3} NCs with efficient UV UC luminescence may find potential application in biochemistry.

  4. Photoluminescence study of Sm{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+}co-doped tellurite glass embedding silver nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reza Dousti, M., E-mail: mrdousti@ifsc.usp.br [Laboratório de Espectroscopia de Materiais Funcionais (LEMAF), Instituto de Fisica de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Trabalhador So-carlense 400, São Carlos, SP 13566-590 (Brazil); Department of Physics, Tehran-North Branch, Islamic Azad University Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor (Malaysia); Amjad, R.J. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor (Malaysia); Department of Physics, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore 54000 (Pakistan); Hosseinian S, R.; Salehi, M.; Sahar, M.R. [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Skudai 81310, Johor (Malaysia)

    2015-03-15

    We report on the upconversion emission of Sm{sup 3+} ions doped tellurite glass in the presence of Yb{sup 3+} ions and silver nanoparticles. The enhancement of infrared-to-visible upconversion emissions is achieved under 980 nm excitation wavelength and attributed to the high absorption cross section of Yb{sup 3+} ions and an efficient energy transfer to Sm{sup 3+} ions. Further enhancements are attributed to the plasmonic effect via metallic nanoparticles resulting in the large localized field around rare earth ions. However, under excitation at 406 nm, the addition of Yb{sup 3+} content and heat-treated silver nanoparticles quench the luminescence of Sm{sup 3+} ions likely due to quantum cutting and plasmonic diluent effects, respectively. - Highlights: • Sm{sup 3+} tellurite glasses co-doped with Yb{sup 3+} ions and tri-doped with Yb{sup 3+}:Ag NPs were prepared. • In first step, Yb{sup 3+} ions enhanced the upconversion emissions of Sm{sup 3+} doped samples. • In second step, Ag NPs further enhanced the upconversion emissions in tri-doped glasses. • Finally, the quench in luminescence under 406 nm excitation is observed and discussed.

  5. Diffraction-limited real-time terahertz imaging by optical frequency up-conversion in a DAST crystal.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Shuzhen; Qi, Feng; Notake, Takashi; Nawata, Kouji; Takida, Yuma; Matsukawa, Takeshi; Minamide, Hiroaki

    2015-03-23

    Real-time terahertz (THz) wave imaging has wide applications in areas such as security, industry, biology, medicine, pharmacy, and the arts. This report describes real-time room-temperature THz imaging by nonlinear optical frequency up-conversion in an organic 4-dimethylamino-N'-methyl-4'-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal, with high resolution reaching the diffraction limit. THz-wave images were converted to the near infrared region and then captured using an InGaAs camera in a tandem imaging system. The resolution of the imaging system was analyzed. Diffraction and interference of THz wave were observed in the experiments. Videos are supplied to show the interference pattern variation that occurs with sample moving and tilting.

  6. Sequential coating upconversion NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm nanocrystals with SiO{sub 2} and ZnO layers for NIR-driven photocatalytic and antibacterial applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tou, Meijie; Luo, Zhenguo; Bai, Song; Liu, Fangying; Chai, Qunxia; Li, Sheng; Li, Zhengquan, E-mail: zqli@zjnu.edu.cn

    2017-01-01

    ZnO is one of the most promising materials for both photocatalytic and antibacterial applications, but its wide bandgap requires the excitation of UV light which limits their applications under visible and NIR bands. Herein, we demonstrate a facile approach to synthesize core-shell-shell hybrid nanoparticles consisting of hexagonal NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm, amorphous SiO{sub 2} and wurtzite ZnO. The upconversion nanocrystals are used as the core seeds and sequentially coated with an insulting shell and a semiconductor layer. Such hybrid nanoparticles can efficiently utilize the NIR light through the upconverting process, and display notable photocatalytic performance and antibacterial activity under NIR irradiation. The developed NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm@SiO{sub 2}@ZnO nanoparticles are characterized with TEM, XRD, EDS, XPS and PL spectra, and their working mechanism is also elucidated. - Highlights: • Core-shell NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm@SiO{sub 2}@TiO{sub 2} NPs were synthesized via a sequential coating method. • Hybrid NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm@SiO{sub 2}@TiO{sub 2} NPs show NIR-light enhanced photocatalytic activity. • NIR-driven antibacterial performance has been realized with NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm@SiO{sub 2}@TiO{sub 2} NPs. • Working mechanism of the hybrid photocatalysts as antibacterial agents was proposed.

  7. Direct imaging of optical interference in erbium-doped Al2O3 waveguides

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoven, van den G.N.; Polman, A.; Dam, van C.; Uffelen, van J.W.M.; Smit, M.K.

    1996-01-01

    Interference of 1.48-mu m light in multimode interference waveguides is made visible by imaging green and infrared upconversion luminescence from Er3+ ions dispersed in the waveguide. A two-dimensional mode density image can be derived from the data and agrees well with mode calculations for this

  8. Core - shell upconversion nanoparticle - semiconductor heterostructures for photodynamic therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dou, Qing Qing; Rengaramchandran, Adith; Selvan, Subramanian Tamil; Paulmurugan, Ramasamy; Zhang, Yong

    2015-02-01

    Core-shell nanoparticles (CSNPs) with diverse chemical compositions have been attracting greater attention in recent years. However, it has been a challenge to develop CSNPs with different crystal structures due to the lattice mismatch of the nanocrystals. Here we report a rational design of core-shell heterostructure consisting of NaYF4:Yb,Tm upconversion nanoparticle (UCN) as the core and ZnO semiconductor as the shell for potential application in photodynamic therapy (PDT). The core-shell architecture (confirmed by TEM and STEM) enables for improving the loading efficiency of photosensitizer (ZnO) as the semiconductor is directly coated on the UCN core. Importantly, UCN acts as a transducer to sensitize ZnO and trigger the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) to induce cancer cell death. We also present a firefly luciferase (FLuc) reporter gene based molecular biosensor (ARE-FLuc) to measure the antioxidant signaling response activated in cells during the release of ROS in response to the exposure of CSNPs under 980 nm NIR light. The breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231 and 4T1) exposed to CSNPs showed significant release of ROS as measured by aminophenyl fluorescein (APF) and ARE-FLuc luciferase assays, and ~45% cancer cell death as measured by MTT assay, when illuminated with 980 nm NIR light.

  9. Up-conversion mechanisms in Er{sup 3+} doped YbAG crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaczkan, Marcin; Borowska, Maja [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics PW, Warsaw (Poland); Malinowski, Michal [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics PW, Warsaw (Poland); Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, Warsaw (Poland); Lukasiewicz, Tadeusz; Kolodziejak, Katarzyna [Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, Warsaw (Poland)

    2009-07-15

    Up-conversion phenomena leading to the red, green and violet emissions in erbium doped ytterbium-aluminum garnet (YbAG) are investigated. Absorption and emission spectra and luminescence dynamics from various excited states of YbAG:Er{sup 3+} were registered. The low temperature absorption spectra were used to determine Stark levels energies of Er{sup 3+} ion in the investigated host. Emissions from the high lying excited states {sup 2}G{sub 9/2}, {sup 4}S{sub 3/2} and {sup 4}F{sub 9/2} of Er{sup 3+} were characterized under pulsed multi-photon IR excitation in the region of wavelength corresponding to the strong {sup 2}F{sub 7/2} {yields} {sup 2}F{sub 5/2} absorption transition of Yb{sup 3+} ions. Using the rate equations formalism the dynamics of the observed emissions were modeled. From the comparison of the measured and calculated decays the energy transfer rates between Yb{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+} ions were evaluated. (copyright 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

  10. Terahertz-wave differential detection based on simultaneous dual-wavelength up-conversion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuma Takida

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available We report a terahertz (THz-wave differential detection based on simultaneous dual-wavelength up-conversion in a nonlinear optical MgO:LiNbO3 crystal with optical and electronic THz-wave sources. The broadband parametric gain and noncollinear phase-matching of MgO:LiNbO3 provide efficient conversion from superposed THz waves to spatially distributed near-infrared (NIR beams to function as a dispersive THz-wave spectrometer without any additional dispersive element. We show that the μW-level THz waves from two independent sources, a 0.78-THz injection-seeded THz-wave parametric generator (is-TPG and a 1.14-THz resonant tunneling diode (RTD, are simultaneously up-converted to two NIR waves and then detected with two NIR photodetectors. By applying a balanced detection scheme to this dual-frequency detection, we demonstrate THz-wave differential imaging of maltose and polyethylene pellets in the transmission geometry. This dual-wavelength detection is applicable to more than three frequencies and broadband THz-wave radiation for real-time THz-wave spectroscopic detection and imaging.

  11. Excited-state lifetime measurement of silicon vacancy centers in diamond by single-photon frequency upconversion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rong, Youying; Ma, Jianhui; Chen, Lingxiao; Liu, Yan; Siyushev, Petr; Wu, Botao; Pan, Haifeng; Jelezko, Fedor; Wu, E.; Zeng, Heping

    2018-05-01

    We report a method with high time resolution to measure the excited-state lifetime of silicon vacancy centers in bulk diamond avoiding timing jitter from the single-photon detectors. Frequency upconversion of the fluorescence emitted from silicon vacancy centers was achieved from 738 nm to 436 nm via sum frequency generation with a short pump pulse. The excited-state lifetime can be obtained by measuring the intensity of upconverted light while the pump delay changes. As a probe, a pump laser with pulse duration of 11 ps provided a high temporal resolution of the measurement. The lifetime extracted from the pump–probe curve was 0.755 ns, which was comparable to the timing jitter of the single-photon detectors.

  12. Multicolor emission from large-area porous thin films constructed of nanowires of small organic molecules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Zhechen; Ding Xunlei; Ma Yanping; Xue Wei; He Shenggui; Xiao Wenchang

    2008-01-01

    We describe a facile low-temperature physical vapor deposition approach to fabricate porous network thin films constructed of nanowires of small organic molecules on a large area. Supermolecular assemblies of pyrene nanowires based on a combination of van der Waals forces and π-π stacking tend to hierarchically self-assemble to form uniform porous films using our techniques. The morphology of the films is studied and we also study several reasons influencing the process of assembly such as evaporation temperature, deposition temperature, and different kinds of substrate. The deposition temperature is determined to be the main reason for hierarchical aggregation. Typically prepared films exhibit unique optical properties, that is, multicolor red-green-blue emissions. This novel method can be applied to other organic molecular systems and may be potentially used to place nanoscaled building blocks directly on solid surfaces for fabricating large-area nanostructure-based flat screens.

  13. Multicolor emission from large-area porous thin films constructed of nanowires of small organic molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Zhe-Chen; Xiao, Wen-Chang; Ding, Xun-Lei; Ma, Yan-Ping; Xue, Wei; He, Sheng-Gui

    2008-12-01

    We describe a facile low-temperature physical vapor deposition approach to fabricate porous network thin films constructed of nanowires of small organic molecules on a large area. Supermolecular assemblies of pyrene nanowires based on a combination of van der Waals forces and π-π stacking tend to hierarchically self-assemble to form uniform porous films using our techniques. The morphology of the films is studied and we also study several reasons influencing the process of assembly such as evaporation temperature, deposition temperature, and different kinds of substrate. The deposition temperature is determined to be the main reason for hierarchical aggregation. Typically prepared films exhibit unique optical properties, that is, multicolor red-green-blue emissions. This novel method can be applied to other organic molecular systems and may be potentially used to place nanoscaled building blocks directly on solid surfaces for fabricating large-area nanostructure-based flat screens.

  14. Green, red and near-infrared photon up-conversion in Ga–Ge–Sb–S:Er{sup 3+} amorphous chalcogenides

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Strizik, L., E-mail: lukas.strizik@centrum.cz [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Zhang, J. [Division of Advanced Nuclear Engineering, Center for Information Materials, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), San 31, Hyoja-dong, Pohang, Gyeongbuk 790-784 (Korea, Republic of); Wagner, T. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Oswald, J. [Institute of Physics of the ASCR, v.v.i., Cukrovarnicka 10, 16200 Prague (Czech Republic); Kohoutek, T. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Walsh, B.M. [NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA 23681 (United States); Prikryl, J. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Svoboda, R. [Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Liu, C. [State Key Laboratory of Silicate Materials for Architectures, Wuhan University of Technology, 122 Luoshi Road, Hongshan, Wuhan, Hubei 430070 (China); Frumarova, B. [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of Czech Academy of Sciences, v.v.i., Heyrovskeho nam. 2, Prague (Czech Republic); Frumar, M. [Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 573, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); Pavlista, M. [Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Faculty of Chemical Technology, University of Pardubice, Studentska 84, 53210 Pardubice (Czech Republic); and others

    2014-03-15

    We report on compositional tuning in Er{sup 3+} ions doped Ga–Ge–Sb–S glassy system allowing for effective {sup 2}H{sub 11/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} (530 nm), {sup 4}S{sub 3/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} (550 nm), {sup 4}F{sub 9/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} (660 nm), {sup 4}I{sub 9/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} (810 nm), {sup 4}I{sub 11/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} (990 nm) intra-4f electronic transition emissions of Er{sup 3+} ions under 808 nm, 980 nm or 1550 nm laser pumping. We changed the composition of well-known Ge{sub 20}Ga{sub 5}Sb{sub 10}S{sub 65} glass to Ge{sub 25}Ga{sub 10−x}Sb{sub x}S{sub 65}, where x=0.5 at%, 2.5 at% or 5.0 at% and doped it with 0.5 at% of Er{sup 3+} ions. The short-wavelength absorption edge of the studied glassy hosts is blue-shifted by substitution of Sb with Ga to ∼500 nm making the green emission at 530 nm and 550 nm and even 495 nm ({sup 4}F{sub 7/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2}) observable, while the glass stability was kept high characterized with the difference of T{sub c}−T{sub g}>100 K and mean coordination numbers 2.67–2.71. Up-conversion emission decay times of all anti-Stokes emissions were in the range of 0.2–2.1 ms. The influence of Ga substitution with Sb on the structure and the optical properties was investigated. The spectroscopic parameters for Er{sup 3+} ions with local environment change were analyzed based on Judd–Ofelt theory. -- Highlights: • Compositional tuning of Ga–Ge–Sb–S:Er{sup 3+} phosphor leads to efficient photon up-conversion under 808 nm, 980 nm and 1550 nm laser pumping. • The 530 nm, 550 nm, 660 nm, 810 nm and 990 nm up-conversion emission bands were detected and their lifetimes determined. • Judd–Ofelt theory was used to study the Er{sup 3+} local environment in Ga–Ge–Sb–S glassy host matrix. • Thermally stable chalcogenide Ga–Ge–Sb–S:Er{sup 3+} phosphors are proposed as candidates for up-converting layers enhancing the silicon solar cell efficiency.

  15. The effect of changes in π-conjugated terthienyl systems using thienyl and ethylenedioxybenzene functionalized thieno[3,4-b]pyrazine precursors: Multicolored low band gap polymers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tarkuc, Simge; Unver, Elif Kose; Udum, Yasemin Arslan; Tanyeli, Cihangir; Toppare, Levent

    2010-01-01

    New classes of thieno[3,4-b]pyrazines containing thienyl and ethylenedioxy phenyl units on electron-withdrawing moieties of π-conjugated terthienyl were synthesized. The effect of structural differences on electrochemical and optoelectronic properties of the resulting polymers was investigated. Changes in the electronic nature of the functional groups enable to tune the electrochemical properties of the π-conjugated terthienyl monomers by lowering oxidation potential from 0.62 V (DTTP) to 0.56 V (DBTP). Spectroelectrochemical analyses revealed that the neutral polymer (PDBTP) is dark green in its neutral state revealing π-π* transitions in two well-separated bands at 410 and 751 nm. The electronic band gap of polymer, defined as the onset of the π-π* transition, is found to be 1.0 eV. Using the thienyl unit instead of ethylenedioxy phenyl, a red shift in the band gap (0.95 eV) is observed. The polymer, PDTTP, exhibits multicolor electrochromism and can be switched between a dark yellow neutral state, a green intermediate state, and a brown oxidized state. PDBTP also shows a multicolored electrochromic behavior with three distinct states: dark green at the neutral state, a brown intermediate state, and a brown-violet oxidized state.

  16. Near-infrared emission and upconversion in Er{sup 3+}-doped TeO{sub 2}–ZnO–ZnF{sub 2} glasses

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Miguel, A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alda. Urquijo s/n 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Morea, R.; Gonzalo, J. [Instituto de Optica, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas CSIC, Serrano 121, 28006 Madrid (Spain); Arriandiaga, M.A. [Departamento de Física Aplicada II, Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Apartado 644, Bilbao (Spain); Fernandez, J. [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alda. Urquijo s/n 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain); Balda, R., E-mail: wupbacrr@bi.ehu.es [Departamento de Física Aplicada I, Escuela Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, Alda. Urquijo s/n 48013 Bilbao (Spain); Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20018 San Sebastian (Spain)

    2013-08-15

    We have investigated the near infrared emission and upconversion of Er{sup 3+} ions in two different compositions of glasses based on TeO{sub 2}, ZnO, and ZnF{sub 2} for different ErF{sub 3} concentrations (0.5, 1, 2, and 3 wt%). Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters have been determined and used to calculate the radiative transition probabilities and radiative lifetimes. The infrared emission at around 1532 nm corresponding to the {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} transition is broader by nearly 30 nm if compared to silica based glasses. The stimulated emission cross section is higher for the glass with the lowest content of ZnF{sub 2} which also shows higher values of the figure of merit for bandwidth. On the other hand, the lifetimes of the excited states are longer for the glass with the highest content of ZnF{sub 2}. Green and red emissions corresponding to transitions ({sup 2}H{sub 11/2},{sup 4}S{sub 3/2})→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} and {sup 4}F{sub 9/2}→{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} have been observed under excitation at 801 nm and attributed to a two photon process. The temporal evolution of the green emission suggests the presence of excited state absorption and energy transfer upconversion processes to populate the {sup 4}S{sub 3/2} level. In the case of the red emission, its increase as ErF{sub 3} concentration increases together with its temporal behavior indicate that for ErF{sub 3} concentrations higher than 0.5 wt%, level {sup 4}F{sub 9/2} is populated by multiphonon relaxation from level {sup 4}S{sub 3/2} and energy transfer processes. -- Highlights: ► High absorption and emission cross-sections for the {sup 4}I{sub 13/2}↔{sup 4}I{sub 15/2} transition suitable for EDFAs. ► The increase of fluorine content leads to longer lifetimes of excited levels of Er{sup 3+} ions. ► Increase of the red upconversion emission with concentration due to ETU processes.

  17. Nanoscale Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy from Visible to Mid-Infrared

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-11-13

    DIODE  LASER.   3   FIGURE  2.  (LEFT)  SEM  IMAGE  OF  A  5UM  SIZE  HOLE  IN  A   SILVER  FILM  AND  TWO  UPCONVERSION  NANOCLUSTERS  IN   IT...temperature, it was washed through centrifugation with water and ethanol. We then spin coated the colloidal solution on a patterned substrate. Figure 2... colloidal nanoparticle solutions with extremely dilute concentrations. The patterned substrate composed of a periodic array of 5 um diameter holes on

  18. Controlling lanthanide exchange in triple-stranded helicates. A way to optimize molecular light-upconversion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zare, Davood; Nozary, Homayoun; Piguet, Claude [Department of Inorganic, Analytical and Applied Chemistry, University of Geneva (Switzerland); Suffren, Yan; Hauser, Andreas [Department of Physical Chemistry, University of Geneva (Switzerland)

    2017-11-13

    The kinetic lability of hexadentate gallium-based tripods is sufficient to ensure thermodynamic self-assembly of luminescent heterodimetallic [GaLn(L3){sub 3}]{sup 6+} helicates on the hour time scale, where Ln is a trivalent 4f-block cation. The inertness is, however, large enough for preserving the triple-helical structure when [GaLn(L3){sub 3}]{sup 6+} is exposed to lanthanide exchange. The connection of a second gallium-based tripod further slows down the exchange processes to such an extent that spectroscopically active [CrErCr(L4){sub 3}]{sup 9+} can be diluted into closed-shell [GaYGa(L4){sub 3}]{sup 9+} matrices without metal scrambling. This feature is exploited for pushing molecular-based energy-transfer upconversion (ETU) at room temperature. (copyright 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

  19. BaY2F8 single crystals doped with rare-earth ions as promising up-conversion media for UV and VUV lasers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pushkar', A A; Uvarova, T V; Molchanov, V N

    2008-01-01

    BaY 2 F 8 crystals are studied as promising active media for UV and VUV lasers. The up-conversion pumping of rare-earth activators is proposed to solve problems related to the solarisation of the medium and the selection of pump sources. The technology of growing oriented BaY 2 F 8 single crystals is developed and the influence of the crystal orientation on the growth rate and quality of single crystals is determined. (active media)

  20. Visibility and Haze

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haze forms when sunlight encounters particle pollution. It reduces visibility in cities and scenic areas. This web area provides regulatory information and progress towards improving visibility through EPA’s regional haze program.

  1. Effect of gamma irradiation on Korean traditional multicolored paintwork

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Minchul; Kim, Dae-Woon; Choi, Jong-il; Chung, Yong-Jae; Kang, Dai-Ill; Hoon Kim, Gwang; Son, Kwang-Tae; Park, Hae-Jun; Lee, Ju-Woon

    2015-10-01

    Gamma irradiation can destroy fungi and insects involved in the bio-deterioration of organic cultural heritages. However, this irradiation procedure can alter optical and structural properties of historical pigments used in wooden cultural heritage paintings. The crystal structure and color centers of these paintings must be maintained after application of the irradiation procedure. In this study, we investigated the effects of gamma irradiation on Korean traditional multicolored paintwork (Dancheong) for the preservation of wooden cultural heritages. The main pigments in Korean traditional wooden cultural heritages, Sukganju (Hematite; Fe2O3), Jangdan (Minium; Pb3O4), Whangyun (Crocoite; PbCrO4), and Jidang (Rutile; TiO2), were irradiated by gamma radiation at doses of 1, 5, and 20 kGy. After irradiation, changes in Commision Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) color values (L*, a*, b*) were measured using the color difference meter, and their structural changes were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The slightly change in less than 1 dE* unit by gamma irradiation was observed, and structural changes in the Dancheong were stable after exposure to 20 kGy gamma irradiation. In addition, gamma irradiation could be applied to painted wooden cultural properties from the Korean Temple. Based on the color values, gamma irradiation of 20 kGy did not affect the Dancheong and stability was maintained for five months. In addition, the fungicidal and insecticidal effect by less than 5 kGy gamma irradiation was conformed. Therefore, the optical and structural properties of Dancheong were maintained after gamma irradiation, which suggested that gamma irradiation can be used for the preservation of wooden cultural heritages painted with Dancheong.

  2. Quantitative imaging of single upconversion nanoparticles in biological tissue.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annemarie Nadort

    Full Text Available The unique luminescent properties of new-generation synthetic nanomaterials, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs, enabled high-contrast optical biomedical imaging by suppressing the crowded background of biological tissue autofluorescence and evading high tissue absorption. This raised high expectations on the UCNP utilities for intracellular and deep tissue imaging, such as whole animal imaging. At the same time, the critical nonlinear dependence of the UCNP luminescence on the excitation intensity results in dramatic signal reduction at (∼1 cm depth in biological tissue. Here, we report on the experimental and theoretical investigation of this trade-off aiming at the identification of optimal application niches of UCNPs e.g. biological liquids and subsurface tissue layers. As an example of such applications, we report on single UCNP imaging through a layer of hemolyzed blood. To extend this result towards in vivo applications, we quantified the optical properties of single UCNPs and theoretically analyzed the prospects of single-particle detectability in live scattering and absorbing bio-tissue using a human skin model. The model predicts that a single 70-nm UCNP would be detectable at skin depths up to 400 µm, unlike a hardly detectable single fluorescent (fluorescein dye molecule. UCNP-assisted imaging in the ballistic regime thus allows for excellent applications niches, where high sensitivity is the key requirement.

  3. Visible Human Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... cryosections are associated with anatomical terminology. AnatLine : A prototype system consisting of an anatomical image database and ... further information is available Publications VHJOE: Visible Human Journal of Endoscopy. NLM's Current Bibliographies in Medicine, Visible ...

  4. Multi-colored immunochromatography using nanobeads for rapid and sensitive typing of seasonal influenza viruses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakurai, Akira; Takayama, Katsuyoshi; Nomura, Namiko; Yamamoto, Naoki; Sakoda, Yoshihiro; Kobayashi, Yukuharu; Kida, Hiroshi; Shibasaki, Futoshi

    2014-12-01

    Immunochromatography (IC) is an antigen-detection assay that plays an important role in the rapid diagnosis of influenza viruses because of its rapid turnaround and ease of use. Despite the usefulness of IC, the limit of detection of common IC kits is as high as 10(3)-10(4) plaque forming units (pfu) per reaction, resulting in their limited sensitivities. Early diagnosis within 24h would provide more appropriate timing of treatment. In this study, a multi-colored NanoAct™ bead IC was established to detect seasonal influenza viruses. This method has approximately 10-fold higher sensitivity than that of colloidal gold or colored latex bead IC assays, and does not require specific instruments. More notably, NanoAct™ bead IC can distinguish influenza A and B viruses from clinical samples with a straightforward readout composed of colored lines. Our results will provide new strategies for the diagnosis, treatment, and a chance to survey of influenza viruses in developing countries and in the field research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Upconversion enhanced degenerate four-wave mixing in the mid-infrared for sensitive detection of acetylene in gas flows

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høgstedt, Lasse; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin; Sahlberg, Anna-Lena

    2014-01-01

    We present a new background free method for in situ gas detection that combines degenerate four-wave mixing with an infra-red light detector based on parametric frequency upconversion of infra-red light. The system is demonstrated at mid infrared wavelengths for low concentration measurements...... of acetylene diluted in a N2 gas flow at ambient conditions. It is demonstrated that the system is able to cover more than 100 nm in scanning range and detect concentrations as low as 3 ppm based on the R9e line. A major issue in small signal measurements is scattered light and it is showed how a spatial...

  6. Biodistribution of upconversion/magnetic silica-coated NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanoparticles in mouse models

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kostiv, Uliana; Rajsiglová, Lenka; Luptáková, Dominika; Pluháček, Tomáš; Vannucci, Luca; Havlíček, Vladimír; Engstová, Hana; Jirák, D.; Šlouf, Miroslav; Makovický, Peter; Sedláček, Radislav; Horák, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 7, č. 73 (2017), s. 45997-46006 ISSN 2046-2069 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-01897S; GA MŠk(CZ) LD15135; GA TA ČR(CZ) TE01020118 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) MiMed Cost Action TD1301 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 ; RVO:61388971 ; RVO:68378050 ; RVO:67985823 Keywords : upconversion nanoparticles * gadolinium * tumor mouse Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry; EE - Microbiology, Virology (MBU-M); FD - Oncology ; Hematology (UMG-J); JJ - Other Materials (FGU-C) OBOR OECD: Polymer science; Microbiology (MBU-M); Oncology (UMG-J); Nano-materials (production and properties) (FGU-C) Impact factor: 3.108, year: 2016

  7. Upconversion study of singly activator ions doped La2O3 nanoparticle synthesized via optimized solvothermal method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tiwari, S. P.; Singh, S.; Kumar, A.; Kumar, K.

    2016-05-01

    In present work, an optimized solvothermal method has been chosen to synthesize the singly doped Er3+ activator ions with La2O3 host matrix. The sample is annealed at 500 °C in order to remove the moisture and other organic impurities. The sample is characterized by using XRD and FESEM to find out the phase and surface morphology. The observed particle size is found almost 80 nm with spherical agglomerated shape. Upconversion spectra are recorded at room temperature using 976 nm diode laser excitation sources and consequently the emission peaks in green and red region are observed. The color coordinate diagram shows the results that the present material may be applicable in different light emitting sources.

  8. A Building Brick Principle to Create Transparent Composite Films with Multicolor Emission and Self-Healing Function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Yuan; Zhu, Minshen; Wang, Zhenguang; Schneider, Julian; Huang, He; Kershaw, Stephen V; Zhi, Chunyi; Rogach, Andrey L

    2018-05-01

    A cellulose paper is used impregnated with light-emitting CdTe nanocrystals and carbon dots, and filled with a polyurethane to fabricate uniform transparent composite films with bright photoluminescence of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) (RGB) colors. A building brick-like assembly method is introduced to realize RGB multicolor emission patterns from this composite material. By sectioning out individual pixels from monochrome-emissive composite sheets, the advantage of the self-healing properties of polyurethane is taken to arrange and weld them into a RGB patterned fabric by brief exposure to ethanol. This provides an approach to form single layer RGB light-emitting pixels, such as potentially required in the display applications, without the use of any lithographic or etching processing. The method can utilize a wide range of different solution-based kinds of light-emitting materials. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. 60 years of UK visibility measurements: impact of meteorology and atmospheric pollutants on visibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Ajit; Bloss, William J.; Pope, Francis D.

    2017-02-01

    Reduced visibility is an indicator of poor air quality. Moreover, degradation in visibility can be hazardous to human safety; for example, low visibility can lead to road, rail, sea and air accidents. In this paper, we explore the combined influence of atmospheric aerosol particle and gas characteristics, and meteorology, on long-term visibility. We use visibility data from eight meteorological stations, situated in the UK, which have been running since the 1950s. The site locations include urban, rural and marine environments. Most stations show a long-term trend of increasing visibility, which is indicative of reductions in air pollution, especially in urban areas. Additionally, the visibility at all sites shows a very clear dependence on relative humidity, indicating the importance of aerosol hygroscopicity on the ability of aerosol particles to scatter radiation. The dependence of visibility on other meteorological parameters, such as wind speed and wind direction, is also investigated. Most stations show long-term increases in temperature which can be ascribed to climate change, land-use changes (e.g. urban heat island effects) or a combination of both; the observed effect is greatest in urban areas. The impact of this temperature change upon local relative humidity is discussed. To explain the long-term visibility trends and their dependence on meteorological conditions, the measured data were fitted to a newly developed light-extinction model to generate predictions of historic aerosol and gas scattering and absorbing properties. In general, an excellent fit was achieved between measured and modelled visibility for all eight sites. The model incorporates parameterizations of aerosol hygroscopicity, particle concentration, particle scattering, and particle and gas absorption. This new model should be applicable and is easily transferrable to other data sets worldwide. Hence, historical visibility data can be used to assess trends in aerosol particle

  10. RGDS- and TAT-conjugated upconversion of NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+&SiO2 nanoparticles: in vitro human epithelioid cervix carcinoma cellular uptake, imaging, and targeting

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kostiv, Uliana; Kotelnikov, Ilya; Proks, Vladimír; Šlouf, Miroslav; Kučka, Jan; Engstová, Hana; Ježek, Petr; Horák, Daniel

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 8, č. 31 (2016), s. 20422-20431 ISSN 1944-8244 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-01897S; GA ČR(CZ) GA16-02702S Institutional support: RVO:61389013 ; RVO:67985823 Keywords : upconversion, nanoparticles * RGDS peptide * TAT peptide Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry; BO - Biophysics (FGU-C) Impact factor: 7.504, year: 2016

  11. Low-frequency wideband vibration energy harvesting by using frequency up-conversion and quin-stable nonlinearity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Chen; Zhang, Qichang; Wang, Wei

    2017-07-01

    This work presents models and experiments of an impact-driven and frequency up-converted wideband piezoelectric-based vibration energy harvester with a quintuple-well potential induced by the combination effect of magnetic nonlinearity and mechanical piecewise-linearity. Analysis shows that the interwell motions during coupled vibration period enable to increase electrical power output in comparison to conventional frequency up-conversion technology. Besides, the quintuple-well potential with shallower potential wells could extend the harvester's operating bandwidth to lower frequencies. Experiments demonstrate our proposed approach can dramatically boost the measured power of the energy harvester as much as 35 times while its lower cut-off frequency is two times lower than that of a conventional counterpart. These results reveal our proposed approach shows promise for powering portable wireless smart devices from low-intensity, low-frequency vibration sources.

  12. Enantiopure distorted ribbon-shaped nanographene combining two-photon absorption-based upconversion and circularly polarized luminescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cruz, Carlos M; Márquez, Irene R; Mariz, Inês F A; Blanco, Victor; Sánchez-Sánchez, Carlos; Sobrado, Jesús M; Martín-Gago, José A; Cuerva, Juan M; Maçôas, Ermelinda; Campaña, Araceli G

    2018-04-28

    Herein we describe a distorted ribbon-shaped nanographene exhibiting unprecedented combination of optical properties in graphene-related materials, namely upconversion based on two-photon absorption (TPA-UC) together with circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). The compound is a graphene molecule of ca. 2 nm length and 1 nm width with edge defects that promote the distortion of the otherwise planar lattice. The edge defects are an aromatic saddle-shaped ketone unit and a [5]carbohelicene moiety. This system is shown to combine two-photon absorption and circularly polarized luminescence and a remarkably long emission lifetime of 21.5 ns. The [5]helicene is responsible for the chiroptical activity while the push-pull geometry and the extended network of sp 2 carbons are factors favoring the nonlinear absorption. Electronic structure theoretical calculations support the interpretation of the results.

  13. Hydrothermal synthesis of NaLuF4:153Sm,Yb,Tm nanoparticles and their application in dual-modality upconversion luminescence and SPECT bioimaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Yang; Sun, Yun; Cao, Tianye; Peng, Juanjuan; Liu, Ying; Wu, Yongquan; Feng, Wei; Zhang, Yingjian; Li, Fuyou

    2013-01-01

    Upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties and radioactivity have been integrated into NaLuF(4):(153)Sm,Yb,Tm nanoparticles by a facile one-step hydrothermal method, making these nanoparticles potential candidates for UCL and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) dual-modal bioimaging in vivo. The introduction of small amount of radioactive (153)Sm(3+) can hardly vary the upconversion luminescence properties of the nanoparticles. The as-designed nanoparticles showed very low cytotoxicity, no obvious tissue damage in 7 days, and excellent in vitro and in vivo performances in dual-modal bioimaging. By means of a combination of UCL and SPECT imaging in vivo, the distribution of the nanoparticles in living animals has been studied, and the results indicated that these particles were mainly accumulated in the liver and spleen. Therefore, the concept of (153)Sm(3+)/Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) co-doped NaLuF(4) nanoparticles for UCL and SPECT dual-modality imaging in vivo of whole-body animals may serve as a platform for next-generation probes for ultra-sensitive molecular imaging from the cellular scale to whole-body evaluation. It also introduces an easy methodology to quantify in vivo biodistribution of nanomaterials which still needs further understanding as a community. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Stable continuous-wave single-frequency Nd:YAG blue laser at 473 nm considering the influence of the energy-transfer upconversion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yaoting; Liu, Jianli; Liu, Qin; Li, Yuanji; Zhang, Kuanshou

    2010-06-07

    We report a continuous-wave (cw) single frequency Nd:YAG blue laser at 473 nm end-pumped by a laser diode. A ring laser resonator was designed, the frequency doubling efficiency and the length of nonlinear crystal were optimized based on the investigation of the influence of the frequency doubling efficiency on the thermal lensing effect induced by energy-transfer upconversion. By intracavity frequency doubling with PPKTP crystal, an output power of 1 W all-solid-state cw blue laser of single-frequency operation was achieved. The stability of the blue output power was better than +/- 1.8% in the given four hours.

  15. Efficient visibility-driven medical image visualisation via adaptive binned visibility histogram.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Younhyun; Kim, Jinman; Kumar, Ashnil; Feng, David Dagan; Fulham, Michael

    2016-07-01

    'Visibility' is a fundamental optical property that represents the observable, by users, proportion of the voxels in a volume during interactive volume rendering. The manipulation of this 'visibility' improves the volume rendering processes; for instance by ensuring the visibility of regions of interest (ROIs) or by guiding the identification of an optimal rendering view-point. The construction of visibility histograms (VHs), which represent the distribution of all the visibility of all voxels in the rendered volume, enables users to explore the volume with real-time feedback about occlusion patterns among spatially related structures during volume rendering manipulations. Volume rendered medical images have been a primary beneficiary of VH given the need to ensure that specific ROIs are visible relative to the surrounding structures, e.g. the visualisation of tumours that may otherwise be occluded by neighbouring structures. VH construction and its subsequent manipulations, however, are computationally expensive due to the histogram binning of the visibilities. This limits the real-time application of VH to medical images that have large intensity ranges and volume dimensions and require a large number of histogram bins. In this study, we introduce an efficient adaptive binned visibility histogram (AB-VH) in which a smaller number of histogram bins are used to represent the visibility distribution of the full VH. We adaptively bin medical images by using a cluster analysis algorithm that groups the voxels according to their intensity similarities into a smaller subset of bins while preserving the distribution of the intensity range of the original images. We increase efficiency by exploiting the parallel computation and multiple render targets (MRT) extension of the modern graphical processing units (GPUs) and this enables efficient computation of the histogram. We show the application of our method to single-modality computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance

  16. Upconversion and pump saturation mechanisms in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped Y2Ti2O7 nanocrystals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Fengxiao; Song, Feng; Zhang, Gong; Han, Yingdong; Li, Qiong; Tian, Jianguo; Ming, Chengguo

    2014-01-01

    The Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 nanocrystals were synthesized by the sol–gel method. X-ray diffraction, transmission electronic microscopy, and photoluminescence spectra were measured to verify the Y 2 Ti 2 O 7 nanocrystalline produced in the sample annealed at 800 °C. The anomalous slopes of the fitted line in the log-log plots for upconversion emissions and the pump-saturation effect of near-infrared emission were observed in the nanocrystalline samples. A theoretical model of practical Er 3+ /Yb 3+ co-doped system based on the rate equations were put forward and explained the experimental phenomena well

  17. Synthesis, characterization and upconversion emission properties of the nanocrystals of Yb3+/Er3+-codoped YF3-YOF-Y2O3 system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zhihua; Zheng Longzhen; Zhang Luning; Xiong Leyan

    2007-01-01

    Nanocrystalline Yb 3+ , Er 3+ -codoped fluoride (YF 3 ), oxyfluoride (YOF), and oxide (Y 2 O 3 ) phosphors have been synthesized by a facile pyrolysis of a yttrium trifluoroacetate precursor. YF 3 , YOF and Y 2 O 3 nanoparticles were demonstrated to be good host materials for lanthanides. Varied hosts led to different optical properties. Red, green, and blue up-conversion (UC) was observed upon excitation in the NIR spectral range in all synthesized compounds. The UC mechanisms were also analyzed

  18. Up-conversion routines of Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} doped Y{sub 6}O{sub 5}F{sub 8} and YOF phosphors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sangmoon, E-mail: spark@silla.ac.kr [Center for Green Fusion Technology and Department of Engineering in Energy & Applied Chemistry, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Yang, Wonseok; Park, Chu-Young; Noh, Minhee; Choi, Seulki [Center for Green Fusion Technology and Department of Engineering in Energy & Applied Chemistry, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Park, Dahye; Jang, Ho Seong; Cho, So-Hye [Center for Materials Architecturing, Institute of Multidisciplinary Convergence of Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 130-650 (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-11-15

    Highlights: • Single-phase optical materials of Y{sub 6}O{sub 5}F{sub 8}:Er and YOF:Er were prepared. • Effective spectral converting properties were observed in Y{sub 6}O{sub 5}F{sub 8}:Er,Yb. • 980 nm diode laser was irradiated for up-converting analysis. • A multi-photon process in the phosphors was investigated. - Abstract: Optical materials composed of a Y{sub 6(1−p−q)}Er{sub 6p}Yb{sub 6q}O{sub 5}F{sub 8} (p = 0.001–0.1, q = 0.005–0.1) solid solution with Y{sub 0.99}Er{sub 0.01}OF were prepared via a solid-state reaction using excess NH{sub 4}F flux at 950 °C for 30 min. X-ray diffraction patterns of Y{sub 6(1−p−q)}Er{sub 6p}Yb{sub 6q}O{sub 5}F{sub 8} and Y{sub 0.99}Er{sub 0.01}OF were compared upon altering the synthesis temperature and the molar ratio of the NH{sub 4}F flux to the Y{sup 3+} (Er{sup 3+}, Yb{sup 3+}) ions. The effective spectral-conversion properties of Er{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} ions in Y{sub 6}O{sub 5}F{sub 8} phosphors were monitored during excitation with a 980 nm wavelength diode-laser. Selection of appropriate Er{sup 3+} and/or Yb{sup 3+} concentrations in the Y{sub 6}O{sub 5}F{sub 8} structure led to achievement of the desired up-conversion emission, from the green to the red regions of the spectra. Furthermore, the mechanism of up-conversion in the phosphors was described by an energy-level schematic. Up-conversion emission spectra and the dependence of the emission intensity on pump power (between 193 and 310 mW) in the Y{sub 6(0.995−q)}Er{sub 0.03}Yb{sub 6q}O{sub 5}F{sub 8} phosphors were also investigated.

  19. Predicting visibility of aircraft.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrew Watson

    Full Text Available Visual detection of aircraft by human observers is an important element of aviation safety. To assess and ensure safety, it would be useful to be able to be able to predict the visibility, to a human observer, of an aircraft of specified size, shape, distance, and coloration. Examples include assuring safe separation among aircraft and between aircraft and unmanned vehicles, design of airport control towers, and efforts to enhance or suppress the visibility of military and rescue vehicles. We have recently developed a simple metric of pattern visibility, the Spatial Standard Observer (SSO. In this report we examine whether the SSO can predict visibility of simulated aircraft images. We constructed a set of aircraft images from three-dimensional computer graphic models, and measured the luminance contrast threshold for each image from three human observers. The data were well predicted by the SSO. Finally, we show how to use the SSO to predict visibility range for aircraft of arbitrary size, shape, distance, and coloration.

  20. Multicolor fluorescent in situ hybridization to define abutting and overlapping gene expression in the embryonic zebrafish brain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hauptmann Giselbert

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In recent years, mapping of overlapping and abutting regulatory gene expression domains by chromogenic two-color in situ hybridization has helped define molecular subdivisions of the developing vertebrate brain and shed light on its basic organization. Despite the benefits of this technique, visualization of overlapping transcript distributions by differently colored precipitates remains difficult because of masking of lighter signals by darker color precipitates and lack of three-dimensional visualization properties. Fluorescent detection of transcript distributions may be able to solve these issues. However, despite the use of signal amplification systems for increasing sensitivity, fluorescent detection in whole-mounts suffers from rapid quenching of peroxidase (POD activity compared to alkaline phosphatase chromogenic reactions. Thus, less strongly expressed genes cannot be efficiently detected. Results We developed an optimized procedure for fluorescent detection of transcript distribution in whole-mount zebrafish embryos using tyramide signal amplification (TSA. Conditions for hybridization and POD-TSA reaction were optimized by the application of the viscosity-increasing polymer dextran sulfate and the use of the substituted phenol compounds 4-iodophenol and vanillin as enhancers of POD activity. In combination with highly effective bench-made tyramide substrates, these improvements resulted in dramatically increased signal-to-noise ratios. The strongly enhanced signal intensities permitted fluorescent visualization of less abundant transcripts of tissue-specific regulatory genes. When performing multicolor fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH experiments, the highly sensitive POD reaction conditions required effective POD inactivation after each detection cycle by glycine-hydrochloric acid treatment. This optimized FISH procedure permitted the simultaneous fluorescent visualization of up to three unique transcripts

  1. Temperature-controlled transfer and self-wiring for multi-color light-emitting diode arrays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Onoe, Hiroaki; Nakai, Akihito; Iwase, Eiji; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi; Shimoyama, Isao

    2009-01-01

    We propose an integration method for arranging light-emitting diode (LED) bare chips on a flexible substrate for multi-color inorganic LED displays. The LED bare chips (240 µm × 240 µm × 75 µm), which were diced on an adhesive sheet by the manufacturer, were transferred to a flexible polyimide substrate by our temperature-controlled transfer (TCT) and self-wiring (SW) processes. In these processes, low-melting point solder (LMPS) and poly-(ethylene glycol) (PEG) worked as adhesive layers for the LED chips during the TCT processes, and the adhesion force of the LMPS and PEG layers was controlled by changing the temperature to melt and solidify the layers. After the TCT processes, electrical connection between the transferred LED chips and the flexible substrate was automatically established via the SW process, by using the surface tension of the melted LMPS. This TCT/SW method enabled us to (i) handle arrays of commercially available bare chips, (ii) arrange multiple types of chips on the circuit substrate by simply repeating the TCT processes and (iii) establish electrical connection between the chips and the substrate automatically. Applying this transfer printing and wiring method, we experimentally demonstrated a 5-by-5 flexible LED array and a two-color (blue and green) LED array

  2. An Optimized Multicolor Point-Implicit Solver for Unstructured Grid Applications on Graphics Processing Units

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zubair, Mohammad; Nielsen, Eric; Luitjens, Justin; Hammond, Dana

    2016-01-01

    In the field of computational fluid dynamics, the Navier-Stokes equations are often solved using an unstructuredgrid approach to accommodate geometric complexity. Implicit solution methodologies for such spatial discretizations generally require frequent solution of large tightly-coupled systems of block-sparse linear equations. The multicolor point-implicit solver used in the current work typically requires a significant fraction of the overall application run time. In this work, an efficient implementation of the solver for graphics processing units is proposed. Several factors present unique challenges to achieving an efficient implementation in this environment. These include the variable amount of parallelism available in different kernel calls, indirect memory access patterns, low arithmetic intensity, and the requirement to support variable block sizes. In this work, the solver is reformulated to use standard sparse and dense Basic Linear Algebra Subprograms (BLAS) functions. However, numerical experiments show that the performance of the BLAS functions available in existing CUDA libraries is suboptimal for matrices representative of those encountered in actual simulations. Instead, optimized versions of these functions are developed. Depending on block size, the new implementations show performance gains of up to 7x over the existing CUDA library functions.

  3. Measuring visibility using smartphones

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friesen, Jan; Bialon, Raphael; Claßen, Christoph; Graffi, Kalman

    2017-04-01

    Spatial information on fog density is an important parameter for ecohydrological studies in cloud forests. The Dhofar cloud forest in Southern Oman exhibits a close interaction between the fog, trees, and rainfall. During the three month monsoon season the trees capture substantial amounts of horizontal precipitation from fog which increases net precipitation below the tree canopy. As fog density measurements are scarce, a smartphone app was designed to measure visibility. Different smartphone units use a variety of different parts. It is therefore important to assess the developed visibility measurement across a suite of different smartphones. In this study we tested five smartphones/ tablets (Google/ LG Nexus 5X, Huawei P8 lite, Huawei Y3, HTC Nexus 9, and Samsung Galaxy S4 mini) against digital camera (Sony DLSR-A900) and visual visibility observations. Visibility was assessed from photos using image entropy, from the number of visible targets, and from WiFi signal strength using RSSI. Results show clear relationships between object distance and fog density, yet a considerable spread across the different smartphone/ tablet units is evident.

  4. GHz-bandwidth upconversion detector using a unidirectional ring cavity to reduce multilongitudinal mode pump effects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Meng, Lichun; Høgstedt, Lasse; Tidemand-Lichtenberg, Peter

    2017-01-01

    We demonstrate efficient upconversion of modulated infrared (IR) signals over a wide bandwidth (up to frequencies in excess of 1 GHz) via cavity-enhanced sum-frequency generation (SFG) in a periodically poled LiNbO3. Intensity modulated IR signal is produced by combining beams from two 1547 nm...... narrow-linewidth lasers in a fiber coupler while tuning their wavelength difference down to 10 pm or less. The SFG crystal is placed inside an Nd:YVO4 ring cavity that provides 1064 nm circulating pump powers of up to 150 W in unidirectional operation. Measured Fabry-Perot spectrum at 1064 nm confirms...... the enhanced spectral stability from multiple to single longitudinal mode pumping condition. We describe analytically and demonstrate experimentally the deleterious effects of using a multimode pump to the high-bandwidth RF spectrum of the 630 nm SFG output. Offering enhanced sensitivity without the need...

  5. Instantaneous ballistic velocity of suspended Brownian nanocrystals measured by upconversion nanothermometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brites, Carlos D. S.; Xie, Xiaoji; Debasu, Mengistie L.; Qin, Xian; Chen, Runfeng; Huang, Wei; Rocha, João; Liu, Xiaogang; Carlos, Luís D.

    2016-10-01

    Brownian motion is one of the most fascinating phenomena in nature. Its conceptual implications have a profound impact in almost every field of science and even economics, from dissipative processes in thermodynamic systems, gene therapy in biomedical research, artificial motors and galaxy formation to the behaviour of stock prices. However, despite extensive experimental investigations, the basic microscopic knowledge of prototypical systems such as colloidal particles in a fluid is still far from being complete. This is particularly the case for the measurement of the particles' instantaneous velocities, elusive due to the rapid random movements on extremely short timescales. Here, we report the measurement of the instantaneous ballistic velocity of Brownian nanocrystals suspended in both aqueous and organic solvents. To achieve this, we develop a technique based on upconversion nanothermometry. We find that the population of excited electronic states in NaYF4:Yb/Er nanocrystals at thermal equilibrium can be used for temperature mapping of the nanofluid with great thermal sensitivity (1.15% K-1 at 296 K) and a high spatial resolution (<1 μm). A distinct correlation between the heat flux in the nanofluid and the temporal evolution of Er3+ emission allows us to measure the instantaneous velocity of nanocrystals with different sizes and shapes.

  6. On characterizing terrain visibility graphs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Evans

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available A terrain is an $x$-monotone polygonal line in the $xy$-plane. Two vertices of a terrain are mutually visible if and only if there is no terrain vertex on or above the open line segment connecting them. A graph whose vertices represent terrain vertices and whose edges represent mutually visible pairs of terrain vertices is called a terrain visibility graph. We would like to find properties that are both necessary and sufficient for a graph to be a terrain visibility graph; that is, we would like to characterize terrain visibility graphs.Abello et al. [Discrete and Computational Geometry, 14(3:331--358, 1995] showed that all terrain visibility graphs are “persistent”. They showed that the visibility information of a terrain point set implies some ordering requirements on the slopes of the lines connecting pairs of points in any realization, and as a step towards showing sufficiency, they proved that for any persistent graph $M$ there is a total order on the slopes of the (pseudo lines in a generalized configuration of points whose visibility graph is $M$.We give a much simpler proof of this result by establishing an orientation to every triple of vertices, reflecting some slope ordering requirements that are consistent with $M$ being the visibility graph, and prove that these requirements form a partial order. We give a faster algorithm to construct a total order on the slopes. Our approach attempts to clarify the implications of the graph theoretic properties on the ordering of the slopes, and may be interpreted as defining properties on an underlying oriented matroid that we show is a restricted type of $3$-signotope.

  7. Predicting catastrophes of non-autonomous networks with visibility graphs and horizontal visibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Haicheng; Xu, Daolin; Wu, Yousheng

    2018-05-01

    Prediction of potential catastrophes in engineering systems is a challenging problem. We first attempt to construct a complex network to predict catastrophes of a multi-modular floating system in advance of their occurrences. Response time series of the system can be mapped into an virtual network by using visibility graph or horizontal visibility algorithm. The topology characteristics of the networks can be used to forecast catastrophes of the system. Numerical results show that there is an obvious corresponding relationship between the variation of topology characteristics and the onset of catastrophes. A Catastrophe Index (CI) is proposed as a numerical indicator to measure a qualitative change from a stable state to a catastrophic state. The two approaches, the visibility graph and horizontal visibility algorithms, are compared by using the index in the reliability analysis with different data lengths and sampling frequencies. The technique of virtual network method is potentially extendable to catastrophe predictions of other engineering systems.

  8. Upconversion Nanoparticles-Encoded Hydrogel Microbeads-Based Multiplexed Protein Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shikha, Swati; Zheng, Xiang; Zhang, Yong

    2018-06-01

    Fluorescently encoded microbeads are in demand for multiplexed applications in different fields. Compared to organic dye-based commercially available Luminex's xMAP technology, upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are better alternatives due to their large anti-Stokes shift, photostability, nil background, and single wavelength excitation. Here, we developed a new multiplexed detection system using UCNPs for encoding poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) microbeads as well as for labeling reporter antibody. However, to prepare UCNPs-encoded microbeads, currently used swelling-based encapsulation leads to non-uniformity, which is undesirable for fluorescence-based multiplexing. Hence, we utilized droplet microfluidics to obtain encoded microbeads of uniform size, shape, and UCNPs distribution inside. Additionally, PEGDA microbeads lack functionality for probe antibodies conjugation on their surface. Methods to functionalize the surface of PEGDA microbeads (acrylic acid incorporation, polydopamine coating) reported thus far quench the fluorescence of UCNPs. Here, PEGDA microbeads surface was coated with silica followed by carboxyl modification without compromising the fluorescence intensity of UCNPs. In this study, droplet microfluidics-assisted UCNPs-encoded microbeads of uniform shape, size, and fluorescence were prepared. Multiple color codes were generated by mixing UCNPs emitting red and green colors at different ratios prior to encapsulation. UCNPs emitting blue color were used to label the reporter antibody. Probe antibodies were covalently immobilized on red UCNPs-encoded microbeads for specific capture of human serum albumin (HSA) as a model protein. The system was also demonstrated for multiplexed detection of both human C-reactive protein (hCRP) and HSA protein by immobilizing anti-hCRP antibodies on green UCNPs.

  9. Multicolor Photometric Observation of Lightning from Space: Comparison with Radio Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Adachi, Toru; Cohen, Morris; Said, Ryan; Blakeslee, Richard J.; Cummer, Steven A.; Li, Jingbo; Lu, Geopeng; Hsu, Rue-Ron; Su, Han-Tzong; Chen, Alfred Bing-Chih; hide

    2011-01-01

    This study evaluates the effectiveness of spectrophotometric measurements from space in revealing properties of lightning flash. The multicolor optical waveform data obtained by FORMOSAT-2/Imager of Sprites and Upper Atmospheric Lightning (ISUAL) were analyzed in relation to National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), North Alabama Lightning Mapping Array (LMA). As of July 2011, we found six lightning events which were observed by ISUAL and North Alabama LMA. In two of these events, NLDN showed clear positive cloud-to-ground (CG) discharges with peak current of +139.9 kA and +41.6 kA and, around that time, LMA showed continuous intra-cloud (IC) leader activities at 4-6 km altitudes. ISUAL also observed consistent optical waveforms of the IC and CG components and, interestingly, it was found that the blue/red spectral ratio clearly decreased by a factor of 1.5-2.5 at the time of CG discharges. Other four lightning events in which NLDN did not detect any CG discharges were also investigated, but such a feature was not found in any of these cases. These results suggest that the optical color of CG component is more reddish than that of IC component and we explain this as a result of more effective Rayleigh scattering in blue light emissions coming from lower-altitude light source. This finding suggests that spectral measurements could be a new useful technique to characterize ICs and CGs from space. In this talk, we will also present a result from lightning statistical analysis of ISUAL spectrophotometric data and ULF magnetic data.

  10. Visible spectroscopy on ASDEX

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, J.V.

    1991-12-01

    In this report visible spectroscopy and impurity investigations on ASDEX are reviewed and several sets of visible spectra are presented. As a basis for identification of metallic impurity lines during plasma discharges spectra from a stainless steel - Cu arc have been recorded. In a next step a spectrum overview of ASDEX discharges is shown which reveals the dominating role of lines from light impurities like carbon and oxygen throughout the UV and visible range (2000 A ≤ λ ≤ 8000 A). Metallic impurity lines of neutrals or single ionized atoms are observed near localized surfaces. The dramatic effect of impurity reduction by boronization of the vessel walls is demonstrated in a few examples. In extension to some ivesti-gations already published, further diagnostic applications of visible spectroscopy are presented. Finally, the hardware and software system used on ASDEX are described in detail. (orig.)

  11. A simple neridronate-based surface coating strategy for upconversion nanoparticles: highly colloidally stable 125I-radiolabeled NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+@PEG nanoparticles for multimodal in vivo tissue imaging

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kostiv, Uliana; Lobaz, Volodymyr; Kučka, Jan; Švec, Pavel; Sedláček, Ondřej; Hrubý, Martin; Janoušková, Olga; Francová, P.; Kolářová, V.; Šefc, L.; Horák, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 9, č. 43 (2017), s. 16680-16688 ISSN 2040-3364 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-01897S; GA MZd(CZ) NV16-30544A Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : upconversion nanoparticles * PEG-neridronate * 125I radiolabeling Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry OBOR OECD: Polymer science Impact factor: 7.367, year: 2016

  12. Synthesis and characterization of α-NaYF{sub 4}: Yb, Er nanoparticles by reverse microemulsion method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gunaseelan, M.; Senthilselvan, J., E-mail: jsselvan@hotmail.com [Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (India)

    2016-05-06

    A simple and cost effective reverse microemulsion system was newly designed to synthesis NaYF{sub 4}:20%Yb,2%Er upconverting luminescent nanoparticles. XRD results confirms the cubic structure of NaYF{sub 4} nanophosphor in the as prepared condition without any other impurity phases. The as-prepared sample itself having highly crystalline nanoparticle with well dispersed uniform morphology is the advantage of this reverse microemulsion process. HRTEM images of as prepared and calcined samples revealed spherical nanoclusters morphology with size of ~210 nm and ~245 nm respectively. The characteristic absorption wavelength that occurs at 980 nm due to transition of energy levels {sup 2}F{sub 5/2} to {sup 2}F{sub 7/2} for Yb{sup 3+} rare earth ion in as prepared and calcined upconversion nanoparticle confirms the presence of Yb{sup 3+} by UV-Visible spectroscopy which can act as a sensitizer for photonic upconversion. Therefore the absorption at NIR region and emission spectrum at visible region suggests that NaYF{sub 4}:20%Yb,2%Er is suitable for upcoversion process, due to its optical property and chemical stability this material also be useful for bio imaging applications.

  13. Thermal effects on light emission in Yb3+ -sensitized rare-earth doped optical glasses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gouveia, E.A.; Araujo, M.T. de; Gouveia-Neto, A.S.

    2001-01-01

    The temperature effect upon infrared-to-visible frequency upconversion fluorescence emission in off-resonance infrared excited Yb 3+ -sensitized rare-earth doped optical glasses is theoretically and experimentally investigated. We have examined samples of Er3+/Yb 3+ -codoped Ga 2 S 3 :La 2 O 3 chalcogenide glasses and germanosilicate optical fibers, and Ga2O3:La 2 O 3 chalcogenide and fluoroindate glasses codoped with Pr 3+ /Yb 3+ , excited off-resonance at 1.064μm. The experimental results revealed thermal induced enhancement in the visible upconversion emission intensity as the samples temperatures were increased within the range of 20 deg C to 260 deg C. The fluorescence emission enhancement is attributed to the temperature dependent multiphonon-assisted anti-Stokes excitation process of the ytterbium-sensitizer. A theoretical approach that takes into account a sensitizer temperature dependent effective absorption cross section, which depends upon the phonon occupation number in the host matrices, has proven to agree very well with the experimental data. As beneficial applications of the thermal enhancement, a temperature tunable amplifier and a fiber laser with improved power performance are presented. (author)

  14. Lanthanide-doped Na xScF 3+ x nanocrystals: Crystal structure evolution and multicolor tuning

    KAUST Repository

    Teng, Xue

    2012-05-23

    Rare-earth-based nanomaterials have recently drawn considerable attention because of their unique energy upconversion (UC) capabilities. However, studies of Sc 3+-based nanomaterials are still absent. Herein we report the synthesis and fine control of Na xScF 3+x nanocrystals by tuning of the ratio of oleic acid (OA, polar surfactant) to 1-octadecene (OD, nonpolar solvent). When the OA:OD ratio was increased from low (3:17) to high (3:7), the nanocrystals changed from pure monoclinic phase (Na 3ScF 6) to pure hexagonal phase (NaScF 4) via a transition stage at an intermediate OA:OD ratio (3:9) where a mixture of nanocrystals in monoclinic and hexagonal phases was obtained and the coexistence of the two phases inside individual nanocrystals was also observed. More significantly, because of the small radius of Sc 3+, Na xScF 3+x:Yb/Er nanocrystals show different UC emission from that of NaYF 4:Yb/Er nanocrystals, which broadens the applications of rare-earth-based nanomaterials ranging from optical communications to disease diagnosis. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

  15. Up-conversion nanoparticles sensitized inverse opal photonic crystals enable efficient water purification under NIR irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yuanyuan; Wang, Lili; Ma, Xiumei; Ren, Junfeng; Sun, Qinxing; Shi, Yongsheng; Li, Lin; Shi, Jinsheng

    2018-03-01

    A novel porous monolayer inverse opal (IO) structure was prepared by a simple sol-gel method combined with a self-assembly PS photonic crystal (PC) as template. By prolonging deposition time of PS spheres, three-dimensional multilayer TiO2 IOPC was also fabricated. Up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) were selected to sensitize TiO2 IOPCs. Photocatalytic activity of as-prepared materials was investigated by disinfection of bacteria and organic pollutant degradation. Under NIR light irradiation, a large improvement in bacterial inactivation and photodegradation efficiency could be seen for NYF/TiO2 composites in comparison with other samples. As for monolayer NYF/TiO2, water disinfection of 100% inactivation of bacteria is realized within 11 h and kinetic constant of RhB degradation is 0.133 h-1, which is about 10 times higher than that of pure TiO2 IOPCs. Reasons of enhanced photocatalytic activity were systematically investigated and a possible mechanism for NIR-driven photocatalysis was reasonably proposed.

  16. Effect of gamma irradiation on Korean traditional multicolored paintwork

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoon, Minchul; Kim, Dae-Woon; Choi, Jong-il; Chung, Yong-Jae; Kang, Dai-Ill; Hoon Kim, Gwang; Son, Kwang-Tae; Park, Hae-Jun; Lee, Ju-Woon

    2015-01-01

    Gamma irradiation can destroy fungi and insects involved in the bio-deterioration of organic cultural heritages. However, this irradiation procedure can alter optical and structural properties of historical pigments used in wooden cultural heritage paintings. The crystal structure and color centers of these paintings must be maintained after application of the irradiation procedure. In this study, we investigated the effects of gamma irradiation on Korean traditional multicolored paintwork (Dancheong) for the preservation of wooden cultural heritages. The main pigments in Korean traditional wooden cultural heritages, Sukganju (Hematite; Fe 2 O 3 ), Jangdan (Minium; Pb 3 O 4 ), Whangyun (Crocoite; PbCrO 4 ), and Jidang (Rutile; TiO 2 ), were irradiated by gamma radiation at doses of 1, 5, and 20 kGy. After irradiation, changes in Commision Internationale d’Eclairage (CIE) color values (L*, a*, b*) were measured using the color difference meter, and their structural changes were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The slightly change in less than 1 dE* unit by gamma irradiation was observed, and structural changes in the Dancheong were stable after exposure to 20 kGy gamma irradiation. In addition, gamma irradiation could be applied to painted wooden cultural properties from the Korean Temple. Based on the color values, gamma irradiation of 20 kGy did not affect the Dancheong and stability was maintained for five months. In addition, the fungicidal and insecticidal effect by less than 5 kGy gamma irradiation was conformed. Therefore, the optical and structural properties of Dancheong were maintained after gamma irradiation, which suggested that gamma irradiation can be used for the preservation of wooden cultural heritages painted with Dancheong. - Highlights: • Effects of gamma irradiation on the Dancheong were evaluated. • We confirmed that optical and structural properties of Dancheong were maintained. • Irradiation can contribute the

  17. Quantitative multi-color FRET measurements by Fourier lifetime excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ming; Huang, Run; Peng, Leilei

    2012-01-01

    Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) is extensively used to probe macromolecular interactions and conformation changes. The established FRET lifetime analysis method measures the FRET process through its effect on the donor lifetime. In this paper we present a method that directly probes the time-resolved FRET signal with frequency domain Fourier lifetime excitation-emission matrix (FLEEM) measurements. FLEEM separates fluorescent signals by their different phonon energy pathways from excitation to emission. The FRET process generates a unique signal channel that is initiated by donor excitation but ends with acceptor emission. Time-resolved analysis of the FRET EEM channel allows direct measurements on the FRET process, unaffected by free fluorophores that might be present in the sample. Together with time-resolved analysis on non-FRET channels, i.e. donor and acceptor EEM channels, time resolved EEM analysis allows precise quantification of FRET in the presence of free fluorophores. The method is extended to three-color FRET processes, where quantification with traditional methods remains challenging because of the significantly increased complexity in the three-way FRET interactions. We demonstrate the time-resolved EEM analysis method with quantification of three-color FRET in incompletely hybridized triple-labeled DNA oligonucleotides. Quantitative measurements of the three-color FRET process in triple-labeled dsDNA are obtained in the presence of free single-labeled ssDNA and double-labeled dsDNA. The results establish a quantification method for studying multi-color FRET between multiple macromolecules in biochemical equilibrium. PMID:23187535

  18. Rare-earth doped gadolinia based phosphors for potential multicolor and white light emitting deep UV LEDs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedekar, Vinila; Dutta, Dimple P; Mohapatra, M; Godbole, S V; Ghildiyal, R; Tyagi, A K

    2009-03-25

    Gadolinium oxide host and europium/dysprosium/terbium doped gadolinium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using the sonochemical technique. Gadolinium oxide nanocrystals were also co-doped with total 2 mol% of Eu(3+)/Dy(3+),Eu(3+)/Tb(3+),Dy(3+)/Tb(3+), and also Eu(3+)/Dy(3+)/Tb(3+) ions, by the same method. The nanoparticles obtained were characterized using powder x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) techniques. The size of the particles ranged from 15 to 30 nm. The triple doped samples showed multicolor emission on single wavelength excitation. The photoluminescence results were correlated with the lifetime data to get an insight into the luminescence and energy transfer processes taking place in the system. On excitation at 247 nm, the novel nanocrystalline Gd(2)O(3):RE (RE = Dy, Tb) phosphor resulted in having very impressive CIE chromaticity coordinates of x = 0.315 and y = 0.316, and a correlated color temperature of 6508 K, which is very close to standard daylight.

  19. Multicolor light emitters based on energy exchange between Tb and Eu ions co-doped into ultrasmall β-NaYF 4 nanocrystals

    KAUST Repository

    Podhorodecki, Artur P.

    2012-01-01

    Multicolor emission is reported from ultrasmall (<10 nm) β-NaYF4:Eu,Tb nanocrystals depending on the excitation wavelengths or emission detection delay time. Detailed optical investigations of three samples (NaYF4:Eu, NaYF4:Tb and NaYF4:Eu,Tb) obtained by a co-thermolysis method have been carried out. Photoluminescence, photoluminescence excitation and emission decay time obtained at different excitation wavelengths have been measured. Excitation mechanisms of Eu and Tb ions have been explained based on the experimental results and calculations using Judd-Ofelt theory. It has been shown that efficient energy transfer from Tb to Eu ions accounts for the efficient red emission of NaYF4:Tb,Eu nanocrystals. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2012.

  20. Beyond Language Equivalence on Visibly Pushdown Automata

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Srba, Jiri

    2009-01-01

    We study (bi)simulation-like preorder/equivalence checking on the class of visibly pushdown automata and its natural subclasses visibly BPA (Basic Process Algebra) and visibly one-counter automata. We describe generic methods for proving complexity upper and lower bounds for a number of studied...... preorders and equivalences like simulation, completed simulation, ready simulation, 2-nested simulation preorders/equivalences and bisimulation equivalence. Our main results are that all the mentioned equivalences and preorders are EXPTIME-complete on visibly pushdown automata, PSPACE-complete on visibly...... one-counter automata and P-complete on visibly BPA. Our PSPACE lower bound for visibly one-counter automata improves also the previously known DP-hardness results for ordinary one-counter automata and one-counter nets. Finally, we study regularity checking problems for visibly pushdown automata...

  1. A multicolor panel of novel lentiviral "gene ontology" (LeGO) vectors for functional gene analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weber, Kristoffer; Bartsch, Udo; Stocking, Carol; Fehse, Boris

    2008-04-01

    Functional gene analysis requires the possibility of overexpression, as well as downregulation of one, or ideally several, potentially interacting genes. Lentiviral vectors are well suited for this purpose as they ensure stable expression of complementary DNAs (cDNAs), as well as short-hairpin RNAs (shRNAs), and can efficiently transduce a wide spectrum of cell targets when packaged within the coat proteins of other viruses. Here we introduce a multicolor panel of novel lentiviral "gene ontology" (LeGO) vectors designed according to the "building blocks" principle. Using a wide spectrum of different fluorescent markers, including drug-selectable enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP)- and dTomato-blasticidin-S resistance fusion proteins, LeGO vectors allow simultaneous analysis of multiple genes and shRNAs of interest within single, easily identifiable cells. Furthermore, each functional module is flanked by unique cloning sites, ensuring flexibility and individual optimization. The efficacy of these vectors for analyzing multiple genes in a single cell was demonstrated in several different cell types, including hematopoietic, endothelial, and neural stem and progenitor cells, as well as hepatocytes. LeGO vectors thus represent a valuable tool for investigating gene networks using conditional ectopic expression and knock-down approaches simultaneously.

  2. Systematic assessment of blood circulation time of functionalized upconversion nanoparticles in the chick embryo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nadort, Annemarie; Liang, Liuen; Grebenik, Ekaterina; Guller, Anna; Lu, Yiqing; Qian, Yi; Goldys, Ewa; Zvyagin, Andrei

    2015-12-01

    Nanoparticle-based delivery of drugs and contrast agents holds great promise in cancer research, because of the increased delivery efficiency compared to `free' drugs and dyes. A versatile platform to investigate nanotechnology is the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane tumour model, due to its availability (easy, cheap) and accessibility (interventions, imaging). In our group, we developed this model using several tumour cell lines (e.g. breast cancer, colon cancer). In addition, we have synthesized in-house silica coated photoluminescent upconversion nanoparticles with several functional groups (COOH, NH2, PEG). In this work we will present the systematic assessment of their in vivo blood circulation times. To this end, we injected chick embryos grown ex ovo with the functionalized UCNPs and obtained a small amount of blood at several time points after injection to create blood smears The UCNP signal from the blood smears was quantified using a modified inverted microscope imaging set-up. The results of this systematic study are valuable to optimize biochemistry protocols and guide nanomedicine advancement in the versatile chick embryo tumour model.

  3. Spectral-converting behaviors of Er{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} doped YOCl phosphors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sangmoon, E-mail: spark@silla.ac.kr [Center for Green Fusion Technology and Department of Engineering in Energy and Applied Chemistry, Silla University, Busan 617-736 (Korea, Republic of); Cho, So-Hye [Center for Materials Architecturing, Institute of Multidisciplinary Convergence of Materials, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, Seoul 130-650 (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-01-25

    Highlights: • Luminescent materials of YOCl:Er,Yb were prepared using NH{sub 4}Cl flux. • Interesting spectral-converting behaviors were observed in the phosphors. • 980 or 1550 nm diode laser was irradiated for up-converting study. • A multi-photon process in the phosphors was calculated. -- Abstract: Luminescent materials composed of Y{sub 1−m−n}Er{sub m}Yb{sub n}OCl (m = 0.001–0.1, n = 0.005–0.1) were prepared via a solid-state reaction using NH{sub 4}Cl flux. Photoluminescence spectra, the dependence of the luminescent intensity as a function of Er{sup 3+} content, and their CIE coordinates of the Er{sup 3+}-doped layered YOCl compounds were also investigated under near-ultraviolet (NUV) and visible lights. The spectral up-converting properties of Er{sup 3+} and Er{sup 3+}–Yb{sup 3+} in YOCl phosphors were elucidated under 980 and 1550 nm diode laser irradiations. This up-conversion emission spectra and the pump power dependence versus emission intensity observed in the Y{sub 0.9}Er{sub 0.1}OCl up-conversion phosphors gave rise to one- and two-photon processes. The up-conversion mechanism of Er{sup 3+} and Yb{sup 3+} ions in YOCl was described by a schematic energy-level diagram. Through the use of these up-conversion luminescent materials, the desired emitting lights throughout the orange and red regions of the spectra were achieved.

  4. Enhanced frequency upconversion study in Er3+/Yb3+ doped/codoped TWTi glasses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azam, Mohd; Rai, Vineet Kumar

    2018-04-01

    Er3+/Yb3+ doped/codoped TeO2-WO3-TiO2 (TWTi) glasses have been prepared by using the melt-quenching technique. The upconversion (UC) emission spectra of the developed glasses have been recorded upon 980 nm laser excitation. Three intense UC emission bands have been observed within the green and red region centered at ˜532 nm, ˜553 nm and ˜669 nm corresponding to the 2H11/2→4I15/2, 4S3/2→4I15/2 and 4F9/2→4I15/2 transitions respectively in the singly Er3+ doped glass. On introducing Yb3+ ions in the singly Er3+ doped glass, an enhancement of about ˜ 12 times and ˜50 times in the green and red bands respectively have been observed even at low pump power ˜ 364 mW followed by two photon absorption process. Colour tunability from yellowish green to pure green colour region has been observed on varying the pump power. The prepared glass can be used to produce NIR to green upconverter and colour tunable display devices.

  5. Visibility and Citation Impact

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebrahim, Nader Ale; Salehi, Hadi; Embi, Mohamed Amin; Tanha, Farid Habibi; Gholizadeh, Hossein; Motahar, Seyed Mohammad

    2014-01-01

    The number of publications is the first criteria for assessing a researcher output. However, the main measurement for author productivity is the number of citations, and citations are typically related to the paper's visibility. In this paper, the relationship between article visibility and the number of citations is investigated. A case study of…

  6. Spectral tuning via multi-phonon-assisted stokes and anti-stokes excitations in LaF{sub 3}: Tm{sup 3+} nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Dangli, E-mail: gaodangli@163.com [School of Materials & Mineral Resources, Xi' an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710055 (China); College of Science, Xi' an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710055 (China); Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Nano Materials and Technology, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710055 (China); Tian, Dongping, E-mail: dptian@xauat.edu.cn [School of Materials & Mineral Resources, Xi' an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710055 (China); College of Science, Xi' an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710055 (China); Chong, Bo; Li, Long [College of Science, Xi' an University of Architecture and Technology, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710055 (China); Zhang, Xiangyu [College of Science, Chang' an University, Xi' an, Shaanxi 710064 (China)

    2016-09-05

    We present a facile and highly effective method to tailor upconversion (UC) emission from LaF{sub 3}: Tm{sup 3+} nanoparticles (NPs) by adjusting ambient temperature from 20 K to 400 K accompanied with the pulse laser excitation. Spectral tuning mechanism controlled by ambient temperature at pulse laser excitation is revealed, and a mechanism based on the modification on multi-phonon relaxation rates for the rapid population of intermediate level {sup 3}H{sub 4} and multi-phonon-assisted excited state absorption is proposed. Based on multi-phonon relaxation theory and time-resolved photoluminescence studies, it is reasonable that UC luminescence under short-pulse laser excitation mainly originates from the ions at/near the surface of NPs. These exciting findings in ambient temperature accompanied with the short-pulse excitation dependent UC selectivity offer a general approach to tailoring lanthanide related UC emissions, which will benefit multicolor displays and imaging. - Graphical abstract: An effective method to tailor upconversion from LaF{sub 3}: Tm{sup 3+} nanoparticles by adjusting ambient temperature accompanied with the short-pulse laser excitation is presented and the spectral tuning mechanism based the modification on multi-phonon relaxation rate and multi-phonon-assisted excited state absorption is also revealed. - Highlights: • The luminescence switching is controlled by temperature and pulse duration. • The mechanism based on the multi-phonon-assisted excitations is proposed. • Blue luminescence under short-pulse excitation originates from the surface ions. • Temperature has a big effect on luminescence color output.

  7. Viewer Makes Radioactivity "Visible"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yin, L. I.

    1983-01-01

    Battery operated viewer demonstrates feasibility of generating threedimensional visible light simulations of objects that emit X-ray or gamma rays. Ray paths are traced for two pinhold positions to show location of reconstructed image. Images formed by pinholes are converted to intensified visible-light images. Applications range from radioactivity contamination surveys to monitoring radioisotope absorption in tumors.

  8. Enhanced green and red upconversion emissions in Er3+-doped boro-tellurite glass containing gold nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dousti, M. Reza; Amjad, Raja J.; Mahraz, Zahra Ashur S.

    2015-01-01

    Increasing the cross-section of upconversion emissions from the rare earth ions doped materials is a challenging issue. In this work, we report on the enhancement of the up-converted emissions of Er3+-doped boro-tellurite glasses containing gold nanoparticles which have been prepared by a conventional melt-quench technique. Seven absorption bands and three emission lines are observed using the UV-Vis-IR and photoluminescence spectroscopic techniques, respectively. Red emission is enhanced up to 30 times in a sample having 1 wt% of Au nanoparticles. The presence of the gold nanoparticles with average size of ∼5.74 nm is confirmed by transmission electron microscopy and corresponding surface plasmon band is observed at 630 nm in a singly-doped Au-nanoparticles embedded glass sample. A model to determine the enhancement factor of the emissions is suggested which could not describe the phenomenon for high concentrations of nanoparticles. Enhancement is attributed to the increased local field around the metal, and the results are discussed in details.

  9. Multifunctional Optical Sensors for Nanomanometry and Nanothermometry: High-Pressure and High-Temperature Upconversion Luminescence of Lanthanide-Doped Phosphates-LaPO4/YPO4:Yb3+-Tm3.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Runowski, Marcin; Shyichuk, Andrii; Tymiński, Artur; Grzyb, Tomasz; Lavín, Víctor; Lis, Stefan

    2018-05-23

    Upconversion luminescence of nano-sized Yb 3+ and Tm 3+ codoped rare earth phosphates, that is, LaPO 4 and YPO 4 , has been investigated under high-pressure (HP, up to ∼25 GPa) and high-temperature (293-773 K) conditions. The pressure-dependent luminescence properties of the nanocrystals, that is, energy red shift of the band centroids, changes of the band ratios, shortening of upconversion lifetimes, and so forth, make the studied nanomaterials suitable for optical pressure sensing in nanomanometry. Furthermore, thanks to the large energy difference (∼1800 cm -1 ), the thermalized states of Tm 3+ ions are spectrally well-separated, providing high-temperature resolution, required in optical nanothermometry. The temperature of the system containing such active nanomaterials can be determined on the basis of the thermally induced changes of the Tm 3+ band ratio ( 3 F 2,3 → 3 H 6 / 3 H 4 → 3 H 6 ), observed in the emission spectra. The advantage of such upconverting optical sensors is the use of near-infrared light, which is highly penetrable for many materials. The investigated nanomanometers/nanothermometers have been successfully applied, as a proof-of-concept of a novel bimodal optical gauge, for the determination of the temperature of the heated system (473 K), which was simultaneously compressed under HP (1.5 and 5 GPa).

  10. Synthesis and characterization of Na(Y,Gd)F{sub 4} upconversion nanoparticles and an investigation of their effects on the photophysical properties of an unsubstituted tetrathiophenoxy phthalocyanine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, Jessica M.; Litwinski, Christian; Nyokong, Tebello; Antunes, Edith M., E-mail: ebeukes@uwc.ac.za [Rhodes University, Department of Chemistry (South Africa)

    2015-02-15

    Sphere- and star-shaped Na(Y,Gd)F{sub 4}:Yb/Er(Tm)upconversion nanoparticles (UCNP) were successfully synthesized utilizing a methanol-assisted thermal decomposition approach and their spectroscopic (absorption, emission and luminescence lifetime) properties fully characterized. The factors affecting the size and shape of the UCNPs were studied and discussed in detail. The size of the nanoparticles was determined using TEM primarily and found to be approximately 19 and 30 nm for the Er and Tm spheres, respectively, while the Er and Tm “stars” were found to be much larger with sizes ranging from 110 to 240 nm, respectively (as determined along the width of the nanoparticle). In addition, their influence on the spectroscopic properties of an unsubstituted tetrathiophenoxy phthalocyanine (H{sub 2}Pc) was investigated. The UCNP were found to produce characteristic upconversion luminescence emissions in the blue, green, red and NIR regions. Simple mixing with an H{sub 2}Pc in toluene was found to exert no obvious changes in the spectroscopic properties of the Pc, although a considerable increase in the radiative lifetimes is observed for the Pc in the presence of the UCNPs. The singlet oxygen generation mediated by the red light excitation of the H{sub 2}Pc mixed with UCNP was found to decrease in the presence of the NPs.

  11. Broadband sensitized photon up-conversion at subsolar irradiance (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pedrini, Jacopo; Monguzzi, Angelo; Meinardi, Francesco

    2016-09-01

    A crucial limit of solar devices is their inability to harvest the full solar spectrum. Currently, sensitized up-conversion based on triplet-tripled annihilation (STTA-UC) in bi-component organic systems is the most promising technique to recover sub-bandgap photons, showing good efficiencies also at excitation intensities comparable to the solar irradiance. In STTA-UC, high-energy light is generated through annihilation of metastable triplet states of molecules acting as emitters, which are populated via resonant energy transfer from a light-harvesting sensitizer. However, suitable sensitizers show narrow absorption bands, limiting the fraction of recoverable photons, therefore preventing the application of STTA-UC to real-world devices. Here we demonstrate how to overcome the described limit by using multiple sensitizers that work cooperatively to broaden the overall system absorption band. This is obtained using an additional sensitizer that transfers the extra harvested energy to the main one (sensitization of the sensitizer), or a set of properly designed complementary absorbing sensitizers all able to excite simultaneously the same emitter (multi-sensitizers). In both cases STTA-UC performances result strongly enhanced compared to the corresponding mono-sensitizer system, increasing the up-converted light intensity generated at AM 1.5 up to two times. Remarkably, by coupling our light converters to a DSSC we prove its operation by exploiting exclusively sub-bandgap photons. A detailed modeling of the photophysical processes involved in these complex systems allows us to draw the guidelines for the design of the next generation STTA-UC materials, encouraging their application to photovoltaic technologies.

  12. Synthesis and upconversion luminescence properties of YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers derived from Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Dan; Dong Xiangting, E-mail: dongxiangting888@163.com; Yu Wensheng; Wang Jinxian; Liu Guixia [Changchun University of Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Applied Chemistry and Nanotechnology at Universities of Jilin Province (China)

    2013-06-15

    YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers were successfully fabricated via fluorination of the relevant Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers which were obtained by calcining the electrospun PVP/[Y(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} + Yb(NO{sub 3}){sub 3} + Er(NO{sub 3}){sub 3}] composite nanofibers. The morphology and properties of the products were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and fluorescence spectrometer. YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers were pure orthorhombic phase with space group Pnma and were hollow-centered structure with mean diameter of 174 {+-} 22 nm, and YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers are composed of nanoparticles with size in the range of 30-60 nm. Upconversion emission spectrum analysis manifested that YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers emitted strong green and weak red upconversion emissions centering at 523, 545, and 654 nm, respectively. The green and red emissions were, respectively, originated from {sup 2}H{sub 11/2}/{sup 4}S{sub 3/2} {yields} {sup 4}I{sub 15/2} and {sup 4}F{sub 9/2} {yields} {sup 4}I{sub l5/2} energy levels transitions of the Er{sup 3+} ions. Moreover, the emitting colors of YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers were located in the green region in CIE chromaticity coordinates diagram. This preparation technique could be applied to prepare other rare earth fluoride upconversion luminescence hollow nanofibers.Graphical AbstractYF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers with orthorhombic structure were synthesized by fluorination of the electrospun Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers via a double-crucible method using NH{sub 4}HF{sub 2} as fluorinating agent. The mean diameter of YF{sub 3}:Yb{sup 3+}/Er{sup 3+} hollow nanofibers was 174 {+-} 22 nm. The fluorination method we proposed here has been proved to be an important method, as it can not only

  13. Hg(II) sensing platforms with improved photostability: The combination of rhodamine derived chemosensors and up-conversion nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Kai; Mo, Jingang; Lu, Chengwen

    2017-05-15

    This paper reported two nanocomposite sensing platforms for Hg(II) detection with improved photostability, using two rhodamine derivatives as chemosensors and up-conversion nanocrystals as excitation host, respectively. There existed a secondary energy transfer from this excitation host to these chemosensors, which was confirmed by spectral analysis, energy transfer radius calculation and emission decay lifetime comparison. In this case, chemosensor photostability was greatly improved. Further analysis suggested that these chemosensors recognized Hg(II) following a simple binding stoichiometry of 1:1. Hg(II) sensing performance of these sensing platforms was analyzed through their emission spectra upon various Hg(II) concentrations. Emission spectral response, Stern-Volmer equation, emission stability and sensing selectivity were discussed in detail. It was finally concluded that these chemosensors showed emission turn on effect towards Hg(II), with high photostability, good selectivity and linear response. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Enhancement of blue upconversion luminescence in hexagonal NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm by using K and Sc ions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kale, Vishal, E-mail: vishal.kale@utu.fi; Soukka, Tero [University of Turku, Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry/Biotechnology (Finland); Hoelsae, Jorma; Lastusaari, Mika [University of Turku, Department of Chemistry (Finland)

    2013-08-15

    Hexagonal ({beta})-NaYF{sub 4} is recognized as one of the most efficient hosts for NIR to blue and green upconversion (UC). A new method to tune the blue UC emission in {beta}-NaYF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm nanocrystals through the possible substitution of the host material with different concentrations of K{sup +} and Sc{sup 3+} ions was investigated in detail. In this work, Na{sub 1-x}K{sub x}YF{sub 4}:Yb,Tm and NaY{sub 1-x}Sc{sub x}F{sub 4}:Yb,Tm nanocrystals were synthesized with varying Na:K and Y:Sc ratios. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and UC luminescence spectroscopy showed that size, morphology, and UC luminescence intensity were affected by the addition of K{sup +} and Sc{sup 3+} ions. Substituted ions disturbed the local symmetry and also resulted in changes in the crystal field. The distance between Yb{sup 3+} and Tm{sup 3+} was affected by different concentration of K{sup +} and Sc{sup 3+} ions, and those differences in the distance are responsible for tuning UC luminescence. This study revealed that when the concentration of K{sup +} and Sc{sup 3+} ions were nominally increased from 20 to 100 mol% during synthesis, hexagonal NaYF{sub 4} changed to structurally different KYF{sub 4} and Na{sub 3}ScF{sub 6} so that the solid solubility became difficult. We also demonstrate that the added K{sup +} does not enter into the NaYF{sub 4} lattice, but it still plays an important role by controlling the Na/R ratio. K{sup +} and Sc{sup 3+} ion concentration of 20 mol% during the synthesis was found to result in materials with size 30-35 nm, and shows ca. four times brighter UC emission than the previously reported lanthanide based nanocrystals. The enhancement in UC luminescence intensity makes upconversion nanophosphors versatile imaging tools for diagnosis.Graphical Abstract.

  15. White upconversion luminescence in Tm3+/Ho3+/Yb3+ triply doped K+-Na+ ion-exchanged aluminum germanate glass channel waveguide

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiao; Chen, Baojie; Pun, Edwin Yue Bun; Lin, Hai

    2013-01-01

    Rare-earth ions doped K+-Na+ ion-exchanged aluminum germanate (NMAG) glass channel waveguides have been designed and fabricated. Under 980 nm laser pumping, an intense upconversion white light transmission trace was observed in Tm3+/Ho3+/Yb3+ triply doped NMAG glass channel waveguide and a high-brightness light spot was achieved from the output end of the fiber connected to the waveguide channel. The fluorescent colors were diverse and located within or near the white region in CIE chromaticity diagram under various pumping powers. These admirable results indicate that Tm3+/Ho3+/Yb3+ triply doped NMAG channel waveguide is a promising light source for medical and high-precision processing illumination.

  16. Fluorescent quenching immune chromatographic strips with quantum dots and upconversion nanoparticles as fluorescent donors for visual detection of sulfaquinoxaline in foods of animal origin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hu, Gaoshuang; Sheng, Wei; Li, Jingmin; Zhang, Yan; Wang, Junping; Wang, Shuo

    2017-01-01

    In this study, two novel fluorescence quenching immune chromatographic strips (FQICS) were developed to detect sulfaquinoxaline (SQX) in foods of animal origin. These proposed FQICSs were based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) from fluorescence donors (quantum dots or upconversion nanoparticles) to fluorescence acceptors (colloidal gold nanoparticles). Compared with traditional colloidal gold-based immune chromatographic strips (ICS), these FQICSs showed positive correlation between the fluorescent signals and the targets, and allowed user to get test results from weak fluorescent signals. The visual detection limits of these two FQICSs were both 1 ng mL −1 in standard solution and 8 μg kg −1 in samples, while the visual detection limit of the colloidal gold-based ICS was 10 ng mL −1 in standard solution and 80 μg kg −1 in samples. Besides, the results we obtained by the use of FQICS showed high agreement with those obtained by the use of commercial ELISA kits, indicating the good accuracy of these strips. As a conclusion, these proposed FQICS based on quantum dots and upconversion nanoparticles can be applied in sensitive, rapid and on-site detection of SQX in foods of animal origin. - Highlights: • Two novel FQICS based on FRET were developed for the first time. • QDs and UCNPs were used as fluorescent donors in the FQICS. • The proposed FQICS showed low LOD compared with traditional ICS. • The proposed FQICS were applied in real samples analysis. • The proposed FQICS were verified by commercial ELISA kits.

  17. Photon Upconversion and Molecular Solar Energy Storage by Maximizing the Potential of Molecular Self-Assembly.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kimizuka, Nobuo; Yanai, Nobuhiro; Morikawa, Masa-Aki

    2016-11-29

    The self-assembly of functional molecules into ordered molecular assemblies and the fulfillment of potentials unique to their nanotomesoscopic structures have been one of the central challenges in chemistry. This Feature Article provides an overview of recent progress in the field of molecular self-assembly with the focus on the triplet-triplet annihilation-based photon upconversion (TTA-UC) and supramolecular storage of photon energy. On the basis of the integration of molecular self-assembly and photon energy harvesting, triplet energy migration-based TTA-UC has been achieved in varied molecular systems. Interestingly, some molecular self-assemblies dispersed in solution or organogels revealed oxygen barrier properties, which allowed TTA-UC even under aerated conditions. The elements of molecular self-assembly were also introduced to the field of molecular solar thermal fuel, where reversible photoliquefaction of ionic crystals to ionic liquids was found to double the molecular storage capacity with the simultaneous pursuit of switching ionic conductivity. A future prospect in terms of innovating molecular self-assembly toward molecular systems chemistry is also discussed.

  18. Intranuclear biophotonics by smart design of nuclear-targeting photo-/radio-sensitizers co-loaded upconversion nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Wenpei; Shen, Bo; Bu, Wenbo; Zheng, Xiangpeng; He, Qianjun; Cui, Zhaowen; Ni, Dalong; Zhao, Kuaile; Zhang, Shengjian; Shi, Jianlin

    2015-11-01

    Biophotonic technology that uses light and ionizing radiation for positioned cancer therapy is a holy grail in the field of biomedicine because it can overcome the systemic toxicity and adverse side effects of conventional chemotherapy. However, the existing biophotonic techniques fail to achieve the satisfactory treatment efficacy, which remains a big challenge for clinical implementation. Herein, we develop a novel theranostic technique of "intranuclear biophotonics" by the smart design of a nuclear-targeting biophotonic system based on photo-/radio-sensitizers covalently co-loaded upconversion nanoparticles. These nuclear-targeting biophotonic agents can not only generate a great deal of multiple cytotoxic reactive oxygen species in the nucleus by making full use of NIR/X-ray irradiation, but also produce greatly enhanced intranuclear synergetic radio-/photodynamic therapeutic effects under the magnetic/luminescent bimodal imaging guidance, which may achieve the optimal efficacy in treating radio-resistant tumors. We anticipate that the highly effective intranuclear biophotonics will contribute significantly to the development of biophotonic techniques and open new perspectives for a variety of cancer theranostic applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Digital/Commercial (In)visibility

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leander, Anna

    2017-01-01

    an argument demonstrating specifically how digital and commercial logics characterize the aesthetic, circulatory, and infrastructuring practices re-producing the regime of (in)visibility. It shows that digital/commercial logics are at the heart of the combinatorial marketing of multiple, contradictory images......This article explores one aspect of digital politics, the politics of videos and more spe- cifically of DAESH recruitment videos. It proposes a practice theoretical approach to the politics of DAESH recruitment videos focused on the re-production of regimes of (in)visibility. The article develops...... on the internet. The theoretical and political cost of overlooking these digital and commercial characteristics of DAESH visibility practices are high. It perpetuates misconceptions of how the videos work and what their politics are and it reinforces the digital Orientalism/Occidentalism in which...

  20. Incremental Visualizer for Visible Objects

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bukauskas, Linas; Bøhlen, Michael Hanspeter

    This paper discusses the integration of database back-end and visualizer front-end into a one tightly coupled system. The main aim which we achieve is to reduce the data pipeline from database to visualization by using incremental data extraction of visible objects in a fly-through scenarios. We...... also argue that passing only relevant data from the database will substantially reduce the overall load of the visualization system. We propose the system Incremental Visualizer for Visible Objects (IVVO) which considers visible objects and enables incremental visualization along the observer movement...... path. IVVO is the novel solution which allows data to be visualized and loaded on the fly from the database and which regards visibilities of objects. We run a set of experiments to convince that IVVO is feasible in terms of I/O operations and CPU load. We consider the example of data which uses...