Probing nearby molecular vibrations with lanthanide-doped nanocrystals.

ABSTRACT: The photoluminescence (PL) of lanthanide-doped nanocrystals can be quenched by energy transfer to vibrations of molecules located within a few nanometers from the dopants. Such short-range electronic-to-vibrational energy transfer (EVET) is often undesired as it reduces the photoluminescence efficiency. On the other hand, EVET may be exploited to extract information about molecular vibrations in the local environment of the nanocrystals. Here, we investigate the influence of solvent and gas environments on the PL properties of NaYF₄:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ upconversion nanocrystals. We relate changes in the PL spectrum and excited-state lifetimes in different solvents and their deuterated analogues to quenching of specific lanthanide levels by EVET to molecular vibration

SUBMITTER: Mangnus MJJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10600830 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature