Upconversion optical nanomaterials applied for photocatalysis and photovoltaics: Recent advances and perspectives

Abstract

Upconversion (UC) lanthanide nanomaterials have attracted enormous attention in the last two decades thanks to their unique ability to convert low-energy infrared photons into high-energy photons. In this mini-review, we briefly discussed the recent achievements related to the direct utilization of UC optical nanomaterials for photocatalysis and photovoltaic applications. In particular, selected examples of UC-containing devices/nanocomposites with improved performance were covered. In addition, we outlined some challenges and future trends associated with the widespread usage of UC nanomaterials.

Keywords

upconversion process / nanoparticle / luminescence / photocatalysis / photovoltaics

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Disclosure of potential conflicts of interests

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported under the funding from the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Grant No. AP05135686).

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2019 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature