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Efficient Organic Upconversion Devices for Low Energy Consumption and High-Quality Noninvasive Imaging
Xiaoyang Du1, Jiayue Han1, Zeyu He1
1School of Optoelectronic Science and Engineering, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, 610054, China.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|August 17, 2021
Summary
This study presents an efficient organic infrared upconversion device (UCD) with high photon-to-photon efficiency and low turn-on voltage. This breakthrough enhances infrared imaging for biological applications and noninvasive monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Optoelectronics
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Imaging
Background:
- Infrared upconversion devices (UCDs) are crucial for low-cost infrared signal visualization without readout circuits, vital for biological recognition and monitoring.
- Current UCDs face limitations in photon-to-photon (p-p) efficiency and high turn-on voltage (Von), restricting high-resolution infrared imaging.
- Addressing these limitations is key to expanding UCD applications in advanced imaging and sensing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient organic UCD with improved performance metrics.
- To lower the turn-on voltage (Von) for broader detection capabilities.
- To enhance the imaging linear dynamic range (I-LDR) for superior bioimaging.
Main Methods:
- Integration of an interfacial exciplex emitter within the organic UCD.
- Design of a specialized near-infrared (NIR) detector.
- Characterization of upconversion efficiency, turn-on voltage, and imaging linear dynamic range.
Main Results:
- Achieved a high upconversion efficiency of 12.92%.
- Demonstrated a significantly low turn-on voltage (Von) of 1.56 V.
- Enabled detection of weak NIR light down to 3.2 µW cm-2.
- Exhibited a highly tunable imaging linear dynamic range (I-LDR) from 13.23 to 84.4 dB.
Conclusions:
- The developed organic UCD offers high efficiency and low operating voltage, overcoming previous limitations.
- The device's performance enables highly resolved, strong-penetration bioimaging, particularly in thick biological samples.
- This technology holds significant potential for noninvasive defect detection and pathological analysis.
