Abstract
Abstract Lanthanide-based upconversion materials convert low energy infrared photons into high energy visible photons. These materials are of interest in a myriad of applications such as solar energy harvesting, color displays and photocatalysis. Upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are also of interest in biological applications as bioimaging and therapeutic agents. However, the intrinsic conversion efficiency of UCNPs remains low for most applications. In this review, we survey the recent work done in increasing the upconversion emission by changing the local electric field experienced by the UCNPs using photonic nanostructures. We review both the underlying theory behind this photonic manipulation as well as experimental demonstrations of enhancement. We discuss the recent developments in the more common plasmonic designs as well as the emerging field of dielectric nanostructures. We find that improvements in design and fabrication of these nanostructures in the last few years have led to reported enhancements of over three orders of magnitude. This large enhancement has been achieved in not only nanostructures on films but also in nanostructures that can be dispersed into solution which is especially relevant for biological applications.
Highlights
Upconversion luminescence (UCL) is a fluorescence mechanism that converts two or more lower energy photons into a higher energy photon [1, 2]
The lanthanide based upconversion materials have a rich energy level landscape with tunable emission characteristics which is useful in the fields of display [3], anticounterfeiting [4] and fingerprinting technology [5]
The rare Earth based upconversion materials are of interest for solar cell technology as the conversion of infrared light into the visible regime allows for the potential to harvest below band gap photons that comprise a significant portion of the solar spectrum [7]
Summary
Upconversion luminescence (UCL) is a fluorescence mechanism that converts two or more lower energy photons into a higher energy photon [1, 2]. The rare Earth based upconversion materials are of interest for solar cell technology as the conversion of infrared light into the visible regime allows for the potential to harvest below band gap photons that comprise a significant portion of the solar spectrum [7]. This upconversion of solar radiation can be used to enhance photocatalytic reactions [8]. We conclude with observations on the future prospects of the field
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