Research Topics
Upconversion Materials
Micro/nanoscale upconversion materials
Lanthanide trivalent ions (Ln3+) embedded in an inorganic host solid are capable of “upconversion”, which is the fascinating ability to convert multiple low-energy photons into a higher-energy photon. Micro/nanoscale upconversion materials gave birth to the promising applications, such as energy harvesting for solar cells, high-contrast bioimaging and deep tissue optogenetics.
We study the complex interaction between Ln3+ and host matrix to further improve the upconversion efficiency and to manipulate the upconversion emission spectrum exquisitely. We exploit several promising approaches, such like plasmonic local-field enhancement, light-matter interactions in optical cavities and breaking symmetry of host ions’ crystal-fields.
We struggle to realize the significant impact not only for scientific fields but also in real world applications by overcoming the intrinsic limitations of the conventional approaches. We believe that our findings will pave the ways of upconversion materials to the future technologies, such as anti-Stokes shift microlasers or all-photonic integrated circuit devices.
Future materials of biomedicine
Pioneering the path to a brighter future in biomedicine, we are passionately conducted on designing the shape, composition, and surface enhancements of both biodegradable and conventional upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to optimize their upconversion luminescence (UCL) intensity and degradation time for diverse biomedical applications. Consequently, we have developed a series of extraordinary biodegradable UCNPs that produce ultrabright luminescence through precise control of their structure and composition. We are pursuing using the potential of these groundbreaking materials in the realm of biomedicine