Polarized upconversion luminescence from a single LiLuF_(4):Yb^(3+)/Er^(3+) microcrystal for orientation tracking

Polarized upconversion luminescence(UCL)of lanthanide-doped micro/nano-crystals has shown great promise in single-particle tracking and super-resolution bioimaging.However,because of the spectral line broadening and multiple sites of lanthanide in upconversion particles(UCPs),the crystal-field(CF)polarization components of UCL are usually undistinguishable.Herein,we report the linearly polarized UCL in LiLuF_(4):Yb^(3+)/Er^(3+) single microcrystals with resolvable CF transition lines and a polarization degree up to 0.82.The CF levels and CF transition lines of Er^(3+),as well as their emission polarization anisotropy,are unraveled for the first time through low-temperature and high-resolution photoluminescence(PL)and UCL spectroscopies.By taking advantage of the well-resolved and highly-polarized CF transition lines of Er^(3+),we demonstrate the application of LiLuF_(4):Yb^(3+)/Er^(3+) single microcrystals as anisotropic UCL probes for orientation tracking.These findings provide fundamental insights into the polarization anisotropy of UCL in lanthanide-doped single particles,thus laying a foundation for the future design of anisotropic luminescent probes towards versatile applications.