Amplifying Photon Upconversion in Alloyed Nanoparticles for a Near-Infrared Photodetector

Lanthanide ions possess fascinating optical properties and their discovery, first industrial uses and present high technological applications are largely governed by their interaction with light. Lighting devices (economical luminescent lamps, light emitting diodes), television and computer displays, optical fibres, optical amplifiers, lasers, as well as responsive luminescent stains for biomedical analysis, medical diagnosis, and cell imaging rely heavily on lanthanide ions. This critical review has been tailored for a broad audience of chemists, biochemists and materials scientists; the basics of lanthanide photophysics are highlighted together with the synthetic strategies used to insert these ions into mono- and polymetallic molecular edifices. Recent advances in NIR-emitting materials, including liquid crystals, and in the control of luminescent properties in polymetallic assemblies are also presented. (210 references.).

Upconversion (UC) refers to nonlinear optical processes in which the sequential absorption of two or more photons leads to the emission of light at shorter wavelength than the excitation wavelength (anti-Stokes type emission). In contrast to other emission processes based on multiphoton absorption, upconversion can be efficiently excited even at low excitation densities. The most efficient UC mechanisms are present in solid-state materials doped with rare-earth ions. The development of nanocrystal research has evoked increasing interest in the development of synthesis routes which allow the synthesis of highly efficient, small UC particles with narrow size distribution able to form transparent solutions in a wide range of solvents. Meanwhile, high-quality UC nanocrystals can be routinely synthesized and their solubility, particle size, crystallographic phase, optical properties and shape can be controlled. In recent years, these particles have been discussed as promising alternatives to organic fluorophosphors and quantum dots in the field of medical imaging. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.