Dr. Robin Geitenbeek – Utrecht University
Luminescence Thermometry – Fundamentals and Applications
A crash course on the fundamentals and applications of luminescence thermometry is the result of trying to fit four years of PhD research into a 15 minute talk. However, it can be done and it has been attempted for the MCEC lustrum celebration.
Luminescence thermometry is the study of temperature by probing luminescence phenomena. In this work, we have used lanthanide-doped (nano)materials in which the luminescence can be correlated to the temperature the material experiences. The different ways electrons can be distributed over the partially filled f-orbitals in these lanthanide ions, results in discrete energy levels of which some are thermally coupled. These thermally coupled states are the origin of the temperature-dependent luminescence which is governed by Boltzmann statistics. After careful characterization and calibration the luminescence signal can be used to probe temperature using a non-invasive manner.
The second part of the talk will discuss the applicability of the temperature probes. Using two showcases the effect of exothermicity and thermal conductivity of the surroundings on temperature are shown and the applicability of luminescence thermometry with high resolution will also be demonstrated.