{"paper_id":"08a38756-c9fe-4d46-8f3a-c8cb67fec2f1","body_text":"Ultrasensitive Mid-Infrared Detection through Ligand-Driven Local Heating in Lanthanide-doped Nanoparticles | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Ultrasensitive Mid-Infrared Detection through Ligand-Driven Local Heating in Lanthanide-doped Nanoparticles Qi jie Wang, Chongwu Wang, Liangliang Liang, Xuran Zhang, Mingjin Dai, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6703068/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mid-infrared (MIR) upconversion spectroscopy, leveraging well-established visible/near-infrared (vis/NIR) detection techniques, holds significant potentials for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications. The recent finding that lanthanide upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) can exhibit MIR-induced luminescence presents a compelling technique to conventional upconversion techniques, opening new possibilities for compact, room-temperature MIR sensors. However, the intrinsically low absorption cross-section of lanthanide ions limits their MIR sensitivity. Here, we overcome this challenge by employing ligand-capped UCNPs, where organic molecules with strong and broadband MIR absorption serve as localized heating sources under MIR irradiation. The increased temperature modulates lanthanide ions' photoluminescence (PL) via thermally sensitive energy transfer processes. This thermally mediated mechanism enables broadband (5–10 μm) MIR detection at room temperature, achieving a detectivity of 4.8 E8 Jones at 6.3 μm, outperforming commercial pyroelectric detectors. The system exhibits a response time of approximately 2 ms and demonstrates spectral fidelity and gas sensing performance competitive with state-of-the-art Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) systems. Our results establish a new design paradigm for MIR photodetection that bridges molecular photonics and upconversion nanotechnology, paving the way for next-generation optical sensing platforms. Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Optical materials and structures Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Applied optics/Mid-infrared photonics Physical sciences/Optics and photonics/Applied optics/Optical sensors Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files SI.pdf Supplementary Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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