Chemically and thermally stable lanthanide-doped Y2O3 nanoparticles for remote temperature sensing in catalytic environments

Luminescent nanoparticles have great potential for remote temperature sensing. Mapping of high temperature profiles under harsh conditions that are common in chemical reactors requires new thermally and chemically stable (nano)probes. Here, we report temperature dependent luminescence of Yb3+/Er3+-,Dy3+- and Eu3+-doped Y2O3 nanoparticles (NPs). We have deposited these lanthanide-doped Y2O3 NPs on alpha-Al2O3, a non-porous catalyst support material. The NPs are strongly adsorbed on the surface and no sintering was observed upon heating to 900 K for 12 h. The high chemical and thermal stability of Y2O3 makes these nanoprobes ideal for sensing in catalytic environments. A systematic study of the three types of luminescent NPs reveals that the temperature dependent luminescence of Yb3+/Er3+, Dy3+ and Eu3+ serves different temperature ranges: lower T regime (300-800 K, accuracy < 5 K) for Yb3+/Er3+, intermediate T for Dy3+(400-900 + K, accuracy < 15 K) and high T for Eu3+(550-900 + K, accuracy < 12 K). The superior thermal and chemical stability of the Y2O3/alpha-Al2O3 host in combination with different luminescent lanthanide dopants results in a robust system that can be tailored to monitor temperatures in different regimes with the highest possible sensitivity. (C) 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.