Er 3+ -doped BaTiO3 nanocrystals for thermometry: Influence of nanoenvironment on the sensitivity of a fluorescence based temperature sensor

Frequency upconverted emissions centered at 526 and 547 nm from two thermodynamically coupled excited states of Er3+ doped in BaTiO3 nanocrystals were recorded in the temperature range from 322 to 466 K using a diode laser emitting at 980 nm as the excitation source. The ensemble measurements of the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) of the signals at 526 and 547 nm as a function of the temperature showed that the sensitivity (the rate in which the FIR changes with the temperature) of such sensor depends on the size of the nanocrystal. This is explained taking into consideration modifications of nonraditive relaxation mechanisms with the size of the nanocrystals.