abstract
Non-invasive accurate thermometers with high spatial resolution and operating at sub-micron scales, where the conventional methods are ineffective, are currently a very active field of research strongly stimulated in the last couple of years by the challenging demands of nanotechnology and biomedicine. This perspective offers a general overview of recent examples of accurate luminescent thermometers working at micrometric and nanometric scales, particularly those involving advanced Ln(3+)-based functional organic-inorganic hybrid materials.
keywords
TEMPERATURE-MEASUREMENT; NANOSCALE THERMOMETRY; PHOSPHOR; FLUORESCENCE; NANOPARTICLES; NANOCRYSTALS; SENSOR; NANOTHERMOMETER; SENSITIVITY; DESIGN
subject category
Chemistry
authors
Brites, CDS; Lima, PP; Silva, NJO; Millan, A; Amaral, VS; Palacio, F; Carlos, LD
our authors
Carlos Brites
Associate Professor
Luís Carlos
Full professor
Nuno João Silva
Principal Researcher
Patrícia Pereira Lima
Post-doc Fellowship
Vitor Brás Sequeira Amaral
Full professoracknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (FCT, Portugal), COMPETE and FEDER programs (PTDC/CTM/101324/2008) and Integrated Spanish-Portuguese Action PT2009-0131 for financial support. The work in Zaragoza has been supported by the grants MAT2007-61621 and CONSOLIDER CSD2007-00010 from the Ministry of Education. CDSB (SFRH/BD/38472/2007) and PPL (SFRH/BPD/34365/2006) thank FCT for grants. NJOS acknowledges FCT for Ciencia 2008 program.