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Primary thermometers based on sol–gel upconverting Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped yttrium tantalates with high upconversion quantum yield and emission color tunability

  • Original Paper: Sol–gel and hybrid materials for optical, photonic and optoelectronic applications
  • Published:
Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigates how rare earth ion (RE3+) concentration affects stabilization of the crystalline structure and infrared-to-visible upconversion (UC) in Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped yttrium tantalates, synthesized by the sol–gel method. Under 980 nm, the samples exhibited intense UC luminescence. The crystalline phases strongly influenced the emission color of UC luminescence. The sample consisting of pure Y3TaO7 phase had a yellowish-green color, but a greener emission appeared in the presence of a small amount of M’-YTaO4. Increasing the RE3+ concentration influences the Y3TaO7 crystalline phase stabilization, as well as in the color tunability, since cross-relaxation processes take place, enhancing red emission intensity. This is the first report of UC quantum yield (UCQY) for yttrium tantalate samples (up to 0.016 ± 0.002%). Samples doped with Er3+/Yb3+ 0.5/1.5 mol % annealed at 900 or 1100 °C were successfully developed as primary thermometers. The temperature of these materials can be predicted without any calibration through the Boltzmann law, using the ratio of the intensity of transitions of Er3+. The maximum relative thermal sensitivity was 1.31 ± 0.05% K−1, which was higher than the sensitivity reported for other oxides. Nanothermometer repeatability was 98.8% and 99.8%, with minimum temperature uncertainty of 0.93 and 0.87 K for samples annealed at 900 and 1100 °C, respectively. The great tunability properties, UCQY values, and nanothermometry results indicated that primary thermometers can be implemented by using Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped yttrium tantalate upconverting nanoparticles for biophotonic applications in temperature sensing and deep tissue imaging.

Highlights

  • Y3TaO7:Er3+/Yb3+ materials were synthetized via the sol–gel method.

  • Upconversion was studied as a function of the doping concentration.

  • The maximum UC quantum yield was 0.016 ± 0.002%.

  • The samples could be successfully applied as primary thermometers.

  • The maximum relative sensitivity was 1.31% K−1; the temperature uncertainty was 0.87 K.

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Data availability

All data generated during this study are included in this published article (as well as in its Supplementary Information files).

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Mrs. Cynthia Maria de Campos Prado Manso for reviewing the text and Lucas Rafael Nunes for taking the photos of the samples under 980 nm excitation, presented in Fig. 2. C. Brites from the University of Aveiro is acknowledged for helping in the quantum yield measurements. The authors would like to thank the Department of Chemistry (FFCLRP), University of São Paulo, and the University of Aveiro at Aveiro, Portugal, for the opportunity of using its facilities.

Author contributions

All authors have contributed to writing of this manuscript and have approved this final version. FHB and RRP have synthesized Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped yttrium tantalates samples. FHB and JCM, performed the optical characterization measurements of the thermometric properties of these samples. FJC helped in the investigation and the writing. LDC, RASF, and RRG supervised the work, as well as reviewed and editing.

Funding

The authors want to acknowledge the Brazilian funding agencies Fapesp (grant number 2017/11301-2 and scholarship processes numbers 2017/10424-3 and 2018/04587-0), CNPq, and CAPES for financial support. This work was also developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MEC and, when appropriate, co-financed by FEDER under the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. JCM also acknowledges FCT for the grant SFRH/BD/139710/2018.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Materiais Luminescentes Micro e Nanoestruturados—Mater Lumen, Departamento de Química, FFCLRP, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil

    Fernanda Hediger Borges, Fábio José Caixeta, Rafael Ramiro Pereira & Rogéria Rocha Gonçalves

  2. CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, and Departament of Physics, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Joana Costa Martins, Luis Dias Carlos & Rute A. S. Ferreira

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  1. Fernanda Hediger Borges
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  2. Joana Costa Martins
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  3. Fábio José Caixeta
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  4. Rafael Ramiro Pereira
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  6. Rute A. S. Ferreira
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  7. Rogéria Rocha Gonçalves
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Correspondence to Rute A. S. Ferreira or Rogéria Rocha Gonçalves.

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Borges, F.H., Martins, J.C., Caixeta, F.J. et al. Primary thermometers based on sol–gel upconverting Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped yttrium tantalates with high upconversion quantum yield and emission color tunability. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 102, 249–263 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-021-05673-0

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