Acquiring the temperature of a single living cell is not a trivial task. In this paper, we devise a novel nanothermometer, capable of accurately determining the temperature of solutions as well as biological systems such as HeLa cancer cells. The nanothermometer is based on the temperature-sensitive fluorescence of NaYF(4):Er(3+),Yb(3+) nanoparticles, where the intensity ratio of the green fluorescence bands of the Er(3+) dopant ions ((2)H(11/2) --> (4)I(15/2) and (4)S(3/2) --> (4)I(15/2)) changes with temperature. The nanothermometers were first used to obtain thermal profiles created when heating a colloidal solution of NaYF(4):Er(3+),Yb(3+) nanoparticles in water using a pump-probe experiment. Following incubation of the nanoparticles with HeLa cervical cancer cells and their subsequent uptake, the fluorescent nanothermometers measured the internal temperature of the living cell from 25 degrees C to its thermally induced death at 45 degrees C.

Nanoparticles of NaGdF4 doped with trivalent erbium (Er3+) and ytterbium (Yb3+) are prepared by a modified thermal decomposition synthesis from trifluoroacetate precursors in 1‐octadecene and oleic acid. The nanoparticles emit visible upconverted luminescence on excitation with near‐infrared light. To minimize quenching of this luminescence by surface defects and surface‐associated ligands, the nanoparticles are coated with a shell of NaGdF4. The intensity of the upconversion luminescence is compared for nanoparticles that were coated with an undoped shell (inert shell) and similar particles coated with a Yb3+‐doped shell (active shell). Luminescence is also measured for nanoparticles lacking the shell (core only), and doped with Yb3+ at levels corresponding to the doped and undoped core/shell materials respectively. Upconversion luminescence was more intense for the core/shell materials than for the uncoated nanoparticles, and is greatest for the materials having the “active” doped shell. Increasing the Yb3+ concentration in the “core‐only” nanoparticles decreases the upconversion luminescence intensity. The processes responsible for the upconversion are presented and the potential advantages of “active‐core”/“active‐shell” nanoparticles are discussed.

Highly dispersible Tm3+/Yb3+‐doped LiYF4 nanocrystals were synthesized using a thermal decomposition method. Upon excitation with a NIR diode laser (980 nm), the dilute dispersion of the nanocrystals exhibits several strong emissions in regions spanning the deep‐UV to NIR, all originating from a single dopant/sensitizer (Tm3+/Yb3+) combination. The material is envisioned to have potential interests in anti‐counterfeiting, biomedicine and solution‐based scintillation applications.

The luminescence properties of hexagonal sodium gadolinium fluoride nanoparticles co-doped with Ho 3+ and Yb 3+ (NaGdF 4 :Ho 3+ /Yb 3+ ), prepared using a thermal decomposition synthesis route, were evaluated following 980 nm excitation. The synthesized nanoparticles were easily dispersed in nonpolar solvents, showed an extremely narrow particle distribution, and were determined to have a mean diameter of 15.6 ( 1.2 nm. The predominantly green upconversion emission was observed to increase with increasing Ho 3+ concentration due to an enhanced energy transfer (ET) from the neighboring Yb 3+ ions. Post-synthesis, the nanoparticles were dispersed in water via modification of the capping oleic acid (OA) ligand. Upconversion emission intensity was observed to decrease upon dispersion in aqueous media likely due to an increase in nonradiative decay pathways. A total ligand exchange with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) resulted in slightly more intense upconversion emission relative to oxidation of the OA to azelaic acid.

Rare-earth-based nanomaterials have recently drawn considerable attention because of their unique energy upconversion (UC) capabilities. However, studies of Sc(3+)-based nanomaterials are still absent. Herein we report the synthesis and fine control of Na(x)ScF(3+x) nanocrystals by tuning of the ratio of oleic acid (OA, polar surfactant) to 1-octadecene (OD, nonpolar solvent). When the OA:OD ratio was increased from low (3:17) to high (3:7), the nanocrystals changed from pure monoclinic phase (Na(3)ScF(6)) to pure hexagonal phase (NaScF(4)) via a transition stage at an intermediate OA:OD ratio (3:9) where a mixture of nanocrystals in monoclinic and hexagonal phases was obtained and the coexistence of the two phases inside individual nanocrystals was also observed. More significantly, because of the small radius of Sc(3+), Na(x)ScF(3+x):Yb/Er nanocrystals show different UC emission from that of NaYF(4):Yb/Er nanocrystals, which broadens the applications of rare-earth-based nanomaterials ranging from optical communications to disease diagnosis.