Abstract
The development of a photothermal agent and a luminescent thermometer within a single nanoparticle is a challenging task since optical heating is efficient for high concentrations of dopants that limit the intensity of luminescence via concentration quenching. Therefore, in this work, it is proven that the use of a relatively small amount of Cr3+ ions as a dopant in NaGdF4:Yb3+,Nd3+ nanoparticles enables the creation of a photothermal agent with an external light-to-heat conversion efficiency among the highest for luminescent materials described so far. At the same time, the Cr3+→Nd3+→Yb3+ energy transfer enables the development of a lifetime-based luminescent thermometer with sensitivity exceeding SR = 1.78%/K in the physiological temperature range. In addition, the pulsed or continuous excitation mode enables separate activation of thermometry and heating functionalities.
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