Temperature-responsive lanthanide-doped nanoarchitecture with orthogonal upconversion luminescence

Lanthanide-doped core-shell upconversion particles with tunable emission bands and intensities in response to external stimuli provide opportunities for multicolor barcoding, optical imaging, and temperature sensing applications. Here, we provide a universal template that can be used as a basic medium for color control and temperature sensing. In a representative nanostructure, i.e., NaYF4:Yb/[email protected]4:Yb/Tm, two excitation-emission spectra-orthogonal luminescence groups with naked-eye observable emission colors (cyan or yellow-green) were obtained by switching the excitation wavelength (980 and 1550 nm). Furthermore, the temperature-responsive optical performance of the nanostructure was investigated, and enhanced temperature sensitivities Sa (0.2339 K−1) and Sr (2.5286% K−1) were achieved based on 3F2,3/4S3/2 non-thermally coupled energy levels (NTCLs). The photophysical properties of the nanostructure show great potential for anticounterfeiting and non-contact temperature sensing applications.