Wide-Range Temperature Sensing using Highly Sensitive Green-Luminescent ZnO and PMMA-ZnO Film as a Non-Contact Optical Probe

摘要

In the era of microanotechnology, measurement of temperature with microanometerscale spatial resolution is very crucial. Various nanothermometers have been developed, such as liquid-in-tube nanothermometers based on the thermal expansion of a liquid in nanotubes, nanoscale thermocouples, fluorescence thermometers based on temperature-dependent luminescence of nanostructures, IR thermometers based on metal nanostructures, and nanothermometers based on the increase in size of the nano-structures. Among these nanothermometers, the fluorescence-based version is gaining popularity because of the wide range of applications. The temperature can be monitored by probing the luminescence properties, such as absolute and relative emission intensities, excited state lifetime, and peak positions. The materials investigated for luminescent thermometry are nano/micro particles, quantum dots, organic dyes, phosphors/polymers, and so on. These thermometers have an accuracy of 0.1K and sensitivity of 0.03-19.6% K~(-1), [10] which give them wide range of applications, such as scanning thermal microscopy, microfluidic, biological imaging, monitoring the temperature of fast moving turbine blades and aircrafts, temperature-induced phase transition studies, temperature mapping of surfaces, thermal therapies, and intracellular temperature mapping.