Tunable upconversion luminescence and enhanced temperature sensitive properties from Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ nanofibers

• Published in: Journal of materials science 2021-05, Vol.56 (15), p.9302
• Main Authors: Xu, Meimei, Ge, Wanyin, Tian, Ye, Wu, Yuanting, Li, Yongxiang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Sensors
• ISSN: 0022-2461; 1573-4803
• DOI: 10.1007/s10853-021-05895-1

Unraveling the morphology of the sensing material is of paramount in realizing the better sensitivity. For this purpose, the Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ nanofibers (0:1, 4:1, 8:1, 15:1, 20:1) and nanoparticles were synthesized via an electrospinning and sol-gel route, respectively. Subsequently, the temperature sensing properties based on the fluorescence intensity ration were studied within Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ nanofibers and particles in the range of 298-538 K. The maximum relative sensitivity value was 1.53% at 298 K for Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ (4:1) nanofibers. As was expected, Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ nanofibers demonstrated an enhanced temperature sensitivity than that of the individual nanoparticles, exhibiting the champion values among all the reported Yb-Er pairs. To exploit the potential for practical application, the Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ nanofibers were utilized to measure the surface temperature of a heating object. An improved surface temperature resolution was realized compare with the infrared thermal camera. All the presented results confirmed that the novel upconversion Bi.sub.2Ti.sub.2O.sub.7:Yb.sup.3+/Er.sup.3+ nanofibers could be an outstanding candidate for temperature sensors. Our work has proven to be a reliable alternative for exploring contactless temperature sensing at a higher resolution.