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Luminescent Platform for Thermal Sensing and Imaging Based on Structural Phase-Transition

07 July 2025

Title: Luminescent Platform for Thermal Sensing and Imaging Based on Structural Phase-Transition

Authors: Anam JavaidMaja SzymczakMalgorzata KubickaVasyl KinzhybaloMarek DrozdDamian Szymanski, Łukasz Marciniak

Journal: Advanced Science

DOI: 10.1002/advs.202508920   

The exceptional sensitivity of Eu3+ luminescence to structural variations in host lattices has been extensively studied over the years. Nevertheless, leveraging this property in materials undergoing thermally induced structural phase transitions for luminescence thermometry is a relatively recent development. Due to the inherently narrow operational temperature range of such thermometers, identifying and exploring new host materials is essential.

Addressing this challenge, the research group led by Prof. Marciniak investigates the temperature-dependent spectroscopic behavior of Na3Sc2(PO4)3:Eu3+ with varying dopant concentrations. Their findings reveal that Na3Sc2(PO4)3:Eu3+ undergoes a structural transformation from a low-temperature monoclinic phase to a high-temperature trigonal phase, inducing pronounced modifications in both the emission spectral profile of Eu3+ ions and the depopulation dynamics of the 5D0 excited state.

As a result, this material proves suitable for both ratiometric and lifetime-based luminescent thermometry, achieving maximum relative sensitivities of 3.4% K-1 and 1.0% K-1, respectively. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that the thermal operating range can be effectively tuned through Eu3+ concentration adjustment to enhance thermometric performance.

Crucially, this work presents the first demonstration of ratiometric thermal imaging using a Eu3+-only doped phosphor captured with an unfiltered digital camera, highlighting Na3Sc2(PO4)3:Eu3+ as a highly promising candidate for advanced luminescence-based temperature sensing technologies.

This work was funded by the NCN Opus project UMO- 2022/45/B/ST5/01629


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