Magnetic tuning of upconversion luminescence in Au/NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocomposite

Lanthanide-doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ have received increasing attention due to their unique optical-magnetic bifunctional properties. Here, we show that the luminescent intensity from NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanoparticles decreases monotonously with increasing the applied magnetic field from 0 to 37.1 T, while plasmon-enhanced upconversion luminescence in Au/NaGdF4:Yb3+/Er3+ nanocomposite is independent of a magnetic field lower than 6 T. The surface plasmon resonances could compensate for the energetic mismatching between the excitation light and the energy-level gaps induced by magnetic field and enhance the radiative efficiency, which is the main factor for achieving this stable upconversion emission in this nanocomposite under a magnetic field not higher than 6 T. These findings provide a novel route for exploring the magnetic control of upconversion luminescence in lanthanide-doped bifunctional nanoparticles.