Six-photon upconverted excitation energy lock-in for ultraviolet-C enhancement

Qianqian Su (), Han-Lin Wei, Yachong Liu, Chaohao Chen, Ming Guan, Shuai Wang, Yan Su, Haifang Wang (), Zhigang Chen and Dayong Jin ()
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Qianqian Su: Shanghai University
Han-Lin Wei: Shanghai University
Yachong Liu: Shanghai University
Chaohao Chen: University of Technology Sydney
Ming Guan: Southern University of Science and Technology
Shuai Wang: Shanghai University
Yan Su: Agency of Science Technology and Research
Haifang Wang: Shanghai University
Zhigang Chen: Donghua University
Dayong Jin: University of Technology Sydney

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Photon upconversion of near-infrared (NIR) irradiation into ultraviolet-C (UVC) emission offers many exciting opportunities for drug release in deep tissues, photodynamic therapy, solid-state lasing, energy storage, and photocatalysis. However, NIR-to-UVC upconversion remains a daunting challenge due to low quantum efficiency. Here, we report an unusual six-photon upconversion process in Gd3+/Tm3+-codoped nanoparticles following a heterogeneous core-multishell architecture. This design efficiently suppresses energy consumption induced by interior energy traps, maximizes cascade sensitizations of the NIR excitation, and promotes upconverted UVC emission from high-lying excited states. We realized the intense six-photon-upconverted UV emissions at 253 nm under 808 nm excitation. This work provides insight into mechanistic understanding of the upconversion process within the heterogeneous architecture, while offering exciting opportunities for developing nanoscale UVC emitters that can be remotely controlled through deep tissues upon NIR illumination.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24664-x

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