Aspects of luminescence nanoprobes for thermometry: Progress and outlook

The measurement of correct temperature with precise accuracy is crucial to conduct both scientific research and industrial manufacturing. A conventional thermometer is based on the thermal expansion of materials and Seebeck effect. Therefore, conventional thermometers are not considered to be accurate for measuring the temperature at submicrometric spatial resolution. An urge for an innovative non-contact thermometer sensor encourages the development of luminescence thermometry as an attractive alternative for sensing and monitoring the temperature with high accuracy and preciseness. In this context, luminescence thermometry has emerged as an attractive field of research due to the exceptional properties of luminescent materials and its use in various applications of as-designed luminescence thermometry in chemistry, biomedicine, or electromagnetism. The present review summarizes the recent advances in developing, designing, and constructing luminescence thermometry using novel luminescent materials. The significance of luminescence thermotropy is discussed and described. Various effects of temperature on photoluminescence (PL) features and their detection modes are discussed. The review covers the different luminescent materials used for temperature sensing or thermometry; lanthanides doped materials, quantum dots, core@shell nanomaterials. organic fluorophores, hybrid nanomaterials. Conclusively, this review provides new direction to identify appropriate luminescent materials for luminescence thermometry.

Automated summary

Accurate temperature measurement is crucial for scientific research and industrial manufacturing. Traditional thermometers are not considered accurate enough for submicrometric spatial resolution. The development of non-contact luminescence thermometry has provided an attractive alternative for high-precision temperature sensing. This review summarizes recent advances in luminescence thermometry using novel luminescent materials, and discusses the importance and various effects of temperature on photoluminescence features. The review also covers different types of luminescent materials used for temperature sensing.