Multifunctional Laser-Induced Bubble Microresonator for Upconversion Emission Enhancement

Abstract

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are attractive luminescent materials for nanophotonic applications under near-infrared excitation, but their full potential is still limited by the low quantum yield of upconversion emission. Herein, we have designed and demonstrated a strategy to enhance the emission of a UCNPs film by a laser-induced microbubble. The microbubble plays multifunctional roles, including collecting plasmonic Ag NPs from the solution by the Marangoni convention, printing them on the UCNPs film to enhance the emission by localized surface plasmon resonances, and serving as a bubble microresonator to enable optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs). Together, the bubble microresonator along with plasmonic Ag NPs can enhance the upconversion emissions by over 200 times. This integrated approach opens new pathways for simultaneous enhancement of emissions from luminescent materials and assembly of NPs over desirable surfaces for optomechanical, biochemical, and sensing applications.

Early-Career and Emerging Researchers in Physical Chemistry Volume 2

“…The approach has potential applications in biomolecular interaction studies and miniature photonic device design. In their very elegant paper, Yan and co-workers used laser-induced microbubbles to optically print Ag nanoparticles on a thin film of lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles. The whispering gallery modes of the microbubbles in conjunction with the plasmon resonances of the Ag particles serve to greatly enhance the emission of the upconversion particles.…”

Early-Career and Emerging Researchers in Physical Chemistry Volume 2

“…The approach has potential applications in biomolecular interaction studies and miniature photonic device design. In their very elegant paper, Yan and co-workers 22 used laser-induced microbubbles to optically print Ag nanoparticles on a thin film of lanthanidedoped upconversion nanoparticles. The whispering gallery modes of the microbubbles in conjunction with the plasmon resonances of the Ag particles serve to greatly enhance the emission of the upconversion particles.…”