Nd3+, Yb3+:YF3 Optical Temperature Nanosensors Operating in the Biological Windows
M.S. Pudovkin, Ekaterina Oleynikova, Airat Kiiamov, М.А. Черосов, Marat Gafurov
Abstract
This work is devoted to the study of thermometric performances of Nd3+ (0.1 or 0.5 mol.%), Yb3+ (X%):YF3 nanoparticles. Temperature sensitivity of spectral shape is related to the phonon-assisted nature of energy transfer (PAET) between Nd3+ and Yb3+). However, in the case of single-doped Nd3+ (0.1 or 0.5 mol.%):YF3 nanoparticles, luminescence decay time (LDT) of 4F3/2 level of Nd3+ in Nd3+ (0.5 mol.%):YF3 decreases with the temperature decrease. In turn, luminescence decay time in Nd3+ (0.1 mol.%):YF3 sample remains constant. It was proposed, that at 0.5 mol.% the cross-relaxation (CR) between Nd3+ ions takes place in contradistinction from 0.1 mol.% Nd3+ concentration. The decrease of LDT with temperature is explained by the decrease of distances between Nd3+ with temperature that leads to the increase of cross-relaxation efficiency. It was suggested, that the presence of both CR and PAET processes in the studied system (Nd3+ (0.5 mol.%), Yb3+ (X%):YF3) nanoparticles provides higher temperature sensitivity compared to the systems having one process (Nd3+ (0.1 mol.%), Yb3+ (X%):YF3). The experimental results confirmed this suggestion. The maximum relative temperature sensitivity was 0.9%·K−1 at 80 K.