Remarkable enhancement of upconversion luminescence on 2-D anodic aluminum oxide photonic crystals

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) are attracting extensive attention due to their unique physical properties and great application potential. However, the lower luminescence quantum yield/strength is still an obstacle for real application. Local field modulation is a promising method to highly enhance the upconversion luminescence (UCL) of the UCNPs. In this work, a novel kind of two-dimensional photonic crystal (2D-PC), anodic aluminum oxides (AAOs), was explored to improve the UCL of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ nanoplates (NPs). An optimum enhancement factor (EF) of 65-fold was obtained for the overall intensity of Er3+ under 980 nm excitation, and 130-fold for the red emission. Systematic studies indicate that UCL enhancement mainly originates from the enlargement of the excitation field by scattering and reflection of AAO PCs. It should also be highlighted that the modulation of 2D-PC on the UCL of NaYF4:Yb3+,Er3+ NPs demonstrates weak size-dependent and thickness-dependent behavior, which is well consistent with the stimulated electromagnetic field distribution by the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method.