LAUSR

Abstract Nanoscale sub-degree non-contact temperature sensing is in high demand in many fields of science and technology. In this work, we report simply synthesized near-infrared emitting YVO4:Nd3+ nanoparticles as ratiometric luminescence thermal sensors. For thermal sensing, the dependences of the emission bands of 4F5/2 – 4I9/2 and 4F3/2 – 4I9/2 transitions from 123 up to 873 K were measured and calibrated as functions of the temperature. The thermal sensitivity was obtained and compared with others Nd3+-doped micro- and nanocrystals presented in the literature. Large energy gap between 4F5/2 and 4F3/2 levels used for nanothermometry leads to the significant enhancement of thermal sensitivity and widening of temperature sensing range compared with thermometers based on Stark sublevels intensity ratio. Effect of doping concentration on the thermal sensitivity was studied. Sub-degree thermal resolution obtained at 313 K and 673 K make YVO4:Nd3+ nanoparticles perspective material for accurate temperature sensing in both biological and technical applications.