Luminescent Sensing of Oxygen Using a Quenchable Probe and Upconverting Nanoparticles

• DOI: 10.1002/anie.201004902
• Publication Date: 2010-10-29T11:33:40Z
• Authors: Daniela E. Achatz; Robert J. Meier; Lorenz H. Fischer; Otto S. Wolfbeis
• Keywords: Reproducibility of Results; Biosensing Techniques; Sensitivity and Specificity; 01 natural sciences; 7. Clean energy; 0104 chemical sciences; Oxygen; Fluorides; Thulium; 540 Chemie; Luminescent Measurements; Nanoparticles; Yttrium; Ytterbium; Cellulose; luminescence; nanoparticles; oxygen; sensor; upconversion

Turned off by oxygen: Luminescent upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) of the type NaYF4:Yb,Tm are employed in an entirely new type of optical sensor for oxygen (see picture). Upon laser excitation at 980 nm, these UCNPs act as nanolamps, the blue emission of which is used to photoexcite an iridium complex dissolved in ethyl cellulose. Its green emission, in turn, is dynamically and fully reversibly quenched by molecular oxygen.