Enhancement of red upconversion emission intensity of Ho^(3+) ions in NaLuF4:Yb^(3+)/Ho^(3+)/Ce^(3+)@NaLuF_(4) core-shell nanoparticles

The red upconversion emission of Ho^(3+)ions,in the optical window of biological tissue,exhibits excellent prospects in biological applications.This study aims to enhance the red upconversion emission intensity of Ho^(3+)ions in NaLuF_(4):20%Yb^(3+)/2%Ho^(3+)/12%Ce^(3+) nanoparticles through building different core–shell structures with different excitation wavelengths.A significantly enhanced red upconversion emission with a higher red-to-green ratio was successfully obtained in NaLuF_(4):20%Yb^(3+)/2%Ho^(3+)/12%Ce^(3+)@NaLuF_(4) core–shell nanoparticles by introducing the Yb^(3+)and Yb^(3+)/Nd^(3+)ions into the NaLuF_(4) shell,with enhancement of the red emission occurring when Yb^(3+)and Nd^(3+)ions in the shell transfer more excitation energy to the Ho^(3+)ions.Investigation of the red emission enhancement mechanism is based on spectral characteristics and lifetimes.We examined the synergistic effect of dual-wavelength co-excitation NaLuF_(4):20%Yb^(3+)/2%Ho^(3+)/12%Ce^(3+)@NaLuF_(4):10%Yb^(3+)/15%Nd^(3+)core–shell nanoparticles to establish optimal excitation conditions.It is hoped that this method,using red upconversion emission core–shell nanoparticles with multi-mode excitation,can provide new ways to expand the applications of rare-earth luminescent materials in biomedicine and anti-counterfeiting.