Temperature sensing and optical heating in Er3+ single-doped and Er3+/Yb3+ codoped NaY(WO4)2 particles

Temperature sensing properties and laser induced thermal effects in rare earth doped materials could inspire some critical applications in accurate temperature detection and thermal therapy. In this paper, a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method was used to synthesize rare earth doped NaY(WO4)2 microstructures. Microstructured NaY(WO4)2 samples with various morphologies were derived by controlling the amount of trisodium citrate in reaction solution. Microscopic image and crystal structure of the obtained samples were characterized by XRD, SEM and HRTEM. It was found that all the received samples exhibited pure phase, and the Cit3−/Y3+ ratio considerably influenced the morphology but the rare earth concentration did not. The temperature sensing performance for the samples with various morphologies and different rare earth concentrations was evaluated. It was confirmed that both the morphology and doping concentration slightly affected the temperature property. Furthermore, based on the temperature sensing technique of Er3+ doped materials, the 980 nm laser irradiation induced thermal effect in NaY(WO4)2 microstructures was studied. It was also found that the sample temperature was very sensitive to the sample morphology and the doping concentration of Er3+ and Yb3+.