Rosei, Federico (Institut national de la recherche scientifique)

Purpose

Monitoring temperature at the nanoscale is quickly becoming a critical task for at least three areas of nanoscience, i.e., micro/nano-electronics, integrated photonics and nanobiotechnology, thereby pointing to multiple technological opportunities. Quantum dots (QDs) have shown their potential for nanoscale thermometry due to their temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL) properties. Because of their extremely small size (usually from 2 to 6 nm), they have unique properties. When they are excited with a source of energy (electricity, ultraviolet radiation, light), they generate light of different colours depending on their size, shape and composition. Variations in the PL intensity/peak position have been extensively investigated. However, the PL intensity/peak position of temperature sensors depends on not only the local temperature, but also multiple other factors. An appealing alternative is the use of double emitting systems, in which two emission bands at different wavelengths are simultaneously monitored. The temperature is typically measured from the intensity ratio of the two emission peaks, allowing self-calibration of the system and increasing its robustness and reliability. For these reasons, fabricating a robust, accurate and precise nanoscale temperature sensor in a wide temperature range is still very challenging. Our invention addresses these issues by exploring a new core/shell QD, which is over ten nanometers in diameter and can be used as a nanothermometer. It can operate in a wide range of temperatures, in addition to being biocompatible, self-calibrating, ultrasensitive and multiparametric. This invention is expected to widely benefit a variety of fields. Hence we strongly believe that a market study for this innovative technology is extremely timely and will contribute to reinforce the impact of the high-technology Canadian industry on the international scene.