Photon Upconversion at Organic-Inorganic Interfaces

Photon upconversion is a process that combines low-energy photons to form useful high-energy photons. There are potential applications in photovoltaics, photocatalysis, biological imaging, etc. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are promising for the absorption of these low-energy photons due to the high extinction coefficient of QDs, especially in the near infrared (NIR). This allows the intriguing use of diffuse light sources such as solar irradiation. In this review, we describe the development of this organic-QD upconversion platform based on triplet-triplet annihilation, focusing on the dark exciton in QDs with triplet character. Then we introduce the underlying energy transfer steps, starting from QD triplet photosensitization, triplet exciton transport, triplet-triplet annihilation, and ending with the upconverted emission. Design principles to improve the total upconversion efficiency are presented. We end with limitations in current reports and proposed future directions. This review provides a guide for designing efficient organic-QD upconversion platforms for future applications, including overcoming the Shockley-Queisser limit for more efficient solar energy conversion, NIR-based phototherapy, and diagnostics in vivo.