Le phénomène d’up-conversion de photon (UpC) permet de générer de la lumière à longueurs d’onde plus courtes que la longueur d’onde d’excitation. Dans cette recherche, la synthese de couches minces dopées avec des ions de terres rares (RE3+) optiquement actifs, leurs caractérisations structurales, ainsi que leurs propriétés optiques et de photoluminescentes ont été étudiées. Les couches ont été élaborées par deux voies de dépôt de couche sur du silicium et des substrats transparents: tout d’abord, un dépôt chimique organométallique en phase vapeur (LI-MOCVD, AA-MOCVD) est utilisé pour le dépôt des couches minces de YF3 et Y2O3 co-dopées Er/Yb. Il est démontré que l’émission d’UpC de Er3+ avec une excitation à 972 nm est influencée par le réseau hôte. Par ailleurs, le traitement sol-gel, une technique chimique par voie humide, est utilisé pour la fabrication de couches minces Y2O3, SiO2 et TiO2 co-dopées Er/Yb par spin-coating. Une optimisation de l’´emission de lumière par UpC a été atteinte grâce à l’ajustement de la concentration de RE et de la température de traitement thermique. De plus, une approche différente a été étudiée pour atteindre une émission UpC renforcée : l’utilisation de microcavités diélectriques de Fabry-Pérot obtenues par sol-gel, constitués d’un empilement de couches de silice et d’oxyde de titane, avec Er/Yb:Y2O3 comme couche de cavité. Le but de ce travail est de répondre aux questions suivantes: comment la nature du réseau hôte et le niveau de dopage influencent l’émission radiative de l’Er3+? Quelles sont les conditions pour un bon matériau d’UpC et ses limites? Nous incluons également une discussion sur les perspectives d’une application possible d’une couche d’UpC dans un dispositif de cellule solaire, qui pourrait améliorer la réponse dans l’infrarouge. / Photon up-conversion (UpC) allows the generation of light of shorter wavelengths compared to the excitation wavelength. In this work the synthesis of thin films doped with optically active rare earth (RE3+) ions, their structural characterization, as well the optical and photoluminescence properties are highlighted. The emphasis lies on two different routes of film deposition on silicon and transparent substrates: first, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (LI-MOCVD, AA-MOCVD) is introduced for the deposition of Er/Yb-doped YF3 and Y2O3 films and it is demonstrated, how the UpC emission of Er3+ upon 972 nm excitation is influenced by the host lattice. Secondly, sol-gel processing, a wet-chemical technique, is used for the fabrication of Er/Yb-doped Y2O3, SiO2 and TiO2 thin films by spin-coating. Optimization of the up-converted light emission was achieved through adjusting the RE concentration and the processing temperature. Moreover, in a different approach for achieving an enhanced UpC emission, sol-gel derived Fabry-Pérot dielectric microcavities, consisting of a multilayer stack of silica and titania layers and Er/Yb: Y2O3 as the cavity layer, are investigated. The aim of this work is to address the questions, how does the nature of the host lattice and doping level influence the radiative emission in Er3+, what are the requirements for a good upconverter material and what are the limitations? We also include a discussion of the application of an upconverter to a solar cell device, which may debatably enhance the response in the infrared.

ITC/USA 2006 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Second Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 23-26, 2006 / Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, San Diego, California / This paper presents a practical implementation of a hardware design for transmission of data over aircraft power lines. The intent of such hardware is to significantly reduce the wiring in the aircraft instrumentation system. The potential usages of this technology include pulse code modulation (PCM), Ethernet and other forms data communications. Details of the fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) and printed circuit board (PCB) designs of the digital and analog front end will be discussed. The power line is not designed for data transmission. It contains considerable noise, multipath effects, and time varying impedance. Spectral analysis data of an aircraft is presented to indicate the difficulty of the problem at hand. A robust modulation is required to overcome the harsh environment and to provide reliable transmission. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been used in power line communication industry with a great deal of success. OFDM has been deemed the most appropriate technology for high-speed data transmission on aircraft power lines. Additionally, forward error correction (FEC) techniques are discussed.

L'objectif de ce travail est d'étudier un matériau up-converteur sous différentes formes afin de pourvoir l'appliquer au photovoltaïque (cellules de 3ième génération). L'oxyde d'yttrium possédant des propriétés particulièrement intéressantes pour l'up-conversion (gap et indice de réfraction élevés, faible énergie de phonons, dopage facile) a été choisi comme matériau up-converteur et a permis d'étudier les propriétés d'up-conversion de ce matériau sous formes de particules sphériques monodisperses et sous forme de couches minces. Les ions erbium et ytterbium, étant connus pour leurs très bonnes propriétés en up-conversion, ont été choisis comme dopants. Deux méthodes de synthèses : la synthèse par précipitation homogène et la synthèse par voie hydrothermale, ont permis d'obtenir les particules respectant les contraintes morphologiques prédéfinies. L'étude de ce matériau sous forme de particules a permis de déterminer l'influence des différents paramètres physiques et chimiques sur les propriétés d'up-conversion. Les couches minces d'oxyde d'yttrium ont été obtenues par spin-coating. L'étude de ces couches minces a permis de démontrer que les rendements de luminescence mesurés sur les couches sont beaucoup plus faibles que ceux des particules; cependant, la nanostructuration des couches minces a permis de démontrer une exaltation des propriétés de luminescence grâce à l'interaction des ions émetteurs avec les structures plasmoniques résonantes. Des études réalisées en vue de l'application de l'up-conversion au photovoltaïque (génération de courant dans une cellule bifaciale c-Si par excitation sub-band-gap, mesure en fonction de la température, up-conversion sous excitation solaire) ont démontré la faisabilité du concept et a permis de conclure que la réalisation du concept up-conversion/photovoltaïque doit encore passer par l'optimisation des matériaux up-converteur.

Ce travail de thèse a été consacré au développement d’un système multicouche constitué de nanoparticules dopées par des ions terres rares (le cœur), entourées d’une première couche cristalline non dopée, permettant de préserver les propriétés optiques du cœur. Une coquille de silice mésoporeuse est ensuite déposée, permettant l’incorporation d’un photosensibilisateur (ZnPc) via les pores de la couche de silice pour une application thérapeutique : la photothérapie dynamique. Différentes matrices ont été étudiées à savoir Y2O3, KY3F10 et NaYF4. Ces matrices ont été codopées Yb3+/Er3+ afin d’obtenir des émissions dans le visible sous l’effet d’une excitation infrarouge (upconversion), le but ultime étant d’exciter le ZnPc in situ. Chacune des matrices a été caractérisée d’un point de vue structural et morphologique dans une première partie, et d’un point de vue spectroscopique dans une deuxième partie. La structure cœur-coquille cristalline renforce l’émission rouge issue du niveau 4F9/2 de l’Er, effet déduit de l’analyse des spectres et de la dynamique de luminescence.La détection de l’oxygène singulet a été réalisée par le protocole de « bleaching » en présence ou pas du ZnPc en évaluant l’intensité de fluorescence de l’ABDA. / This work has been dedicated to the development of a multistep system composed by rare earths doped nanoparticles (core), enclosed by a first undoped crystalline layer (core-shell), serving as protection of the optical properties of the core. Within a shell of mesoporous silica allowing the loading of the photosensitizer (ZnPc) via the pores of the shell of silica for a therapeutic application: the photodynamic therapy. Various lattices were studied namely Y2O3, KY3F10 and NaYF4. These lattices were codoped with Yb3+ and Er3+ ions to obtain emissions in the visible under an infrared excitation (up conversion), the ultimate purpose being to excite in situ ZnPc. Each of these lattices was characterized from a structural and morphological point of view in the first part and, in the second part, spectroscopic studies are developed. The core-shell enhances the red emission stemming from the level 4F9/2 of Er, effect deduced from the analysis of spectra and the dynamics of luminescence. The detection of the singlet oxygen was realized in vitro by the study of the bleaching of ABDA fluorescence. The comparison of the results for nanoparticles loaded with ZnPc and unloaded ones allows demonstrating the generation of singlet oxygen by exciting in the infrared region of the spectra thanks to the efficient upconversion processes occurring in the rare earth doped materials.

Orientador: Marcelo Nalin / Resumo: Sistemas foto-termo-refrativos obtidos a partir de alumino-silicatos dopados com Ce4+, Ag+, Sb3+ e Sn2+ tem sido amplamente estudado nestas últimas década por Glebov e Nikonorov devido a crescente necessidade de desenvolvimento de novos dispositivos que atuem em sistemas ópticos e fotônicos. Estes sistemas produzidos atualmente apresentam índice de refração ~ 1,5 o que limita a observação de efeitos não lineares e transparência na região de baixa energia restrita ao infravermelho próximo. Além disso, como os sistemas atualmente conhecidos são multicomponentes, a compreensão do mecanismo por trás da foto-termo sensibilidade ainda não está completamente elucidada. Neste contexto, a síntese de novas composições de sistemas vítreos, com mecanismos mais simples, com índice de refração mais elevado e transparência na região do infravermelho médio se mostram interessantes pois ampliam as possibilidades de aplicações nas áreas acima citadas. Neste trabalho foram sintetizados e caracterizados vidros foto-termo-refrativos contendo óxidos e oxifluoretos de metais pesados com índice de refração > 2 e transparência desde a região do UV-Vis até o infravermelho médio (~ 7µm). As sínteses foram feitas combinando diferentes óxidos e fluoretos, tais como, Ga2O3, GeO2, PbO, Bi2O3, LaF3 e NaF e utilizando a técnica de fusão seguida de choque térmico, com posterior tratamento térmico controlado. As propriedades térmicas dos novos materiais foram estudadas por calorimetria diferencial de varredura... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Photo-thermo-refractive systems obtained from Alumino-silicates doped with Ce4+, Ag+, Sb3+ and Sn2+ has been extensively studied in recent decades by Glebov and Nikonorov due to the growing need for new devices that act in optical and photonic systems. These systems present refractive index ~ 1.5, which limits the observation of nonlinear effects and as well as the transparency in the region of low energy restricted to near infrared. In addition, as the currently known systems are multi-component, the understanding of the mechanism behind the photo-thermo sensitivity is is complex and not completely elucidated yet. In this context, the synthesis of new vitreous compositions with simplest mechanisms, with higher refraction index and transparency extended up to middle infrared region are interesting because they broaden the possibilities of applications in the areas mentioned above. In this work, we synthesized and characterized photo-thermo-refractive glass containing heavy metals oxides and oxifluorides components with refractive index higher than 2 and transparency window from UV-Vis to the medium infrared (~ 7 µm). The syntheses were made by combining different oxides and fluorides, such as, Ga2O3, GeO2, PbO, Bi2O3, LaF3 and NaF and using the melt-quenching technique with subsequent controlled heat treatment. The thermal properties of the new materials were studied by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The structural properties were evaluated by Raman spectroscopy and... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

This thesis study presents the design, simulation, micro fabrication, and testing steps of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) based electromagnetic micro power generators. These generators are capable of generating power using already available environmental vibrations, by implementing the electromagnetic induction technique. There are mainly two objectives of the study: (i) to increase the bandwidth of the traditional micro generators and (ii) to improve their efficiency at low frequency environmental vibrations of 1-100 Hz where most vibrations exist. Four main types of generators have been proposed within the scope of this thesis study. The first type of generator is mainly composed of 20 parylene cantilevers on which coils are fabricated, where the cantilevers are capable of resonating with external vibrations with respect to a stationary magnet. This generator has dimensions of 9.5&times / 8&times / 6 mm3, and it has been shown that 0.67 mV of voltage and 56 pW of power output can be obtained from a single cantilever of this design at a vibration frequency of 3.45 kHz. The second type generator aims to increase the bandwidth of the traditional designs by implementing cantilevers with varying length. This generator is sized 14&times / 12.5&times / 8 mm3, and the mechanical design and energy generation concept is similar to the first design. The test results show that by using 40 cantilevers with a length increment of 3 &amp / #956 / m, the overall bandwidth of the generator can be increased to 1000 Hz. It has also been shown that 9 mV of constant voltage and 1.7 nW of constant power output can be obtained from the overall device in a vibration frequency range of 3.5 to 4.5 kHz. The third type is a standard large mass coil type generator that has been widely used in the literature. In this case, the generator is composed of a stationary base with a coil and a magnet-diaphragm assembly capable of resonating with vibrations. The fabricated device has dimensions of 8.5&times / 7&times / 2.5 mm3, and it has been considered in this study for benchmarking purposes only. The test results show that 0.3 mV of voltage and 40 pW of power output can be obtained from the fabricated design at a vibration frequency of 113 Hz. The final design aims to mechanically up-convert low frequency environmental vibrations of 1-100 Hz to a much higher frequency range of 2-3 kHz. This type of generator has been implemented for the first time in the literature. The generator is composed of two parts / a diaphragm-magnet assembly on the top, and 20 cantilevers that have coils connected in series at the base. The diaphragm oscillates by low frequency environmental vibrations, and catches and releases the cantilevers from the tip points where magnetic nickel (Ni) areas are deposited. The released cantilevers then start decaying out oscillations that is at their damped natural frequency of 2-3 kHz. It has been shown with tests that frequency up-conversion is realized in micro scale. The fabricated device has dimensions of 8.5&times / 7&times / 2.5 mm3, and a maximum voltage and power output of 0.57 mV and 0.25 nW can be obtained, respectively, from a single cantilever of the fabricated prototype at a vibration frequency of 113 Hz.

This thesis study presents the design, simulation, and fabrication of a low frequency electromagnetic micro power generator. This power generator can effectively harvest energy from low frequency external vibrations (1-100 Hz). The main objective of the study is to increase the efficiency of the previously proposed structure in METU-MEMS Center, which uses the frequency up-conversion technique to harvest energy from low frequency vibration. The proposed structure has been demonstrated by constructing several macro scale prototypes. In one of the constucted prototypes, the diaphragms are connected to a fixed frame via metal springs. The upper diaphragm having lower resonance frequency carries a magnet, and the lower diaphragm carries a hand wound coil and a magnetic piece for converting 6 Hz external vibrations up to 85 Hz, resulting a maximum voltage and power levels of 11.1 mV and 5.1 &micro / W, respectively. In an improved prototype, the metal springs are replaced with rubber ones, providing higher energy conversion efficiency and flexibility to tune the resonance frequency of both diaphragms to desired values. This prototype provides 104 &micro / W maximum power and 37.7 mV maximum voltage in response to vibration levels of 30 Hz. The proposed structure is also suitable to be realized by using microfabrication techniques. Hence, the structure to be microfabricated is studied and optimized for this purpose. When scaled to microelectromechanical dimensions, the expected maximum power and voltage from the 10 x 8.5 x 2.5 mm3 generator is 119 nW and 15.2 mV, respectively. A microfabrication process has also been designed for the proposed generator structure. According to this process, the structure consists of a stack of two pieces, each carrying different diaphragms. The diaphragms are made of parylene, and the coil and the magnetic piece are electroplated copper and nickel, respectively. As a result of this study, a new topology is proposed for harvesting energy at low frequency vibrations by the frequency up-conversion technique, and an efficiency improvement is expected with more than three orders of magnitude (119 nanoWatts output for the same size) compared to the study realized in our laboratory in converting low frequency (70-150 Hz) environmental vibrations to electrical energy.

CAMPOS FILHO, Múcio Costa. Estudo das propriedades dielétricas e ópticas na matriz cerâmica CaBi4Ti4O15 com adição de V2O5, Er2O3 e Yb2O3. 2015. 169 f. Tese (Doutorado em Física) - Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, Departamento de Física, Centro de Ciências, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2015. / Submitted by Edvander Pires (edvanderpires@gmail.com) on 2015-10-26T21:58:54Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_tese_mccamposfilho.pdf: 9304166 bytes, checksum: 0448bdd2063e3fc697dee9f5c6efb532 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Edvander Pires(edvanderpires@gmail.com) on 2015-10-26T21:59:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_tese_mccamposfilho.pdf: 9304166 bytes, checksum: 0448bdd2063e3fc697dee9f5c6efb532 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-10-26T21:59:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2015_tese_mccamposfilho.pdf: 9304166 bytes, checksum: 0448bdd2063e3fc697dee9f5c6efb532 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / A strong demand for compressed materials, low cost and easy to manufacture are needed for various technological applications, in this sense many ceramics are candidates for its dielectric and optical properties .In this work, structural, dielectric and optical phase of the orthorhombic ferroelectric ceramic matrixCaBi4Ti4O15were investigated, one pseudo-perovskite bismuth layer structure (BLSFs) of space group A21am of the aurivillius family, prepared by the solid state method and sintered in low temperatures. Sample preparation for structural analysis and dielectric, had the addition of vanadium pentóxido (V2O5) to the phase CaBi4Ti4O15 calcined in ratios of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 5.0% by mass. To obtain optical properties of the ceramic matrix doped with rare earth ions erbiumIII (Er2O3) and III ytterbium oxide (Yb2O3). The study of the structure and composition of the samples was done by X-ray diffraction and confirmation was made by single stage rietveld refinement. The vibrational characteristics was obtained by Raman spectroscopy (RS). The morphology study off or analysis of grain and grain boundary, was performed by scanning electron microscopy. The dielectric characterization of radio frequency spectroscopy was performed in impedance which occurred two conductivity mechanisms for all samples, one at low frequency and the on the rat high frequency. Models of dielectric relaxation approach the Cole-Cole type model. Measures in the microwave range were obtained using the hakki-coleman method and monopole, which gave a temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (f) close to zero with the addition of V2O5. The dielectric permittivity measurements in radiofrequency and microwave, performe dat room temperature, had a high constant value (εr≈150) with the addition of 1%V2O5, and a value of relatively low loss tangent for family aurivillus (tan[δ]≈10-2) at 2 GHz. A numerical simulation was performed with each sample verifying approach with the experimental data. In rare earth doped samples was checked energy up-conversion phenomenon with the presence of intense bands samples of visible light emission in the green region and a less intense bands in thered region.The investigated material has potential for application in volatile memories, capacitive filters and optical components such as sensors, solar cells and LEDs. / Uma forte demanda por materiais mais compactados, de baixo custo e de fácil fabricação são necessários para diversas aplicações tecnológicas, neste sentido diversos materiais cerâmicos são candidatos por suas propriedades dielétricas e ópticas. Neste presente trabalho, foram investigadas as propriedades estruturais, dielétricas e ópticas da fase ortorrômbica da matriz cerâmica ferroelétrica CaBi4Ti4O15, uma pseudo-perosviskita de estrutura de camada de bismuto (BLSFs) do grupo espacial A21am da família aurivillius, preparada pelo método do estado sólido e sinterizada em baixas temperaturas. A preparação das amostras para análise estrutural e dielétrica, tiveram a adição de pentóxido de vanádio (V2O5) à fase CaBi4Ti4O15 calcinada, em proporções de 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 e 5.0 % em massa. Para obtenção das propriedades ópticas, a matriz cerâmica pura foi dopada com os íons terras raras érbio III (Er2O3) e óxido de itérbio III (Yb2O3). O estudo da estrutura e composição das amostras foi feito através de difração de raios-X e a confirmação da fase única foi feita pelo Refinamento Rietveld. A caracterização vibracional foi obtida através da Espectroscopia Raman (SR). O estudo da morfologia, para análise de grão e contorno de grão, foi realizado através de Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura. A caracterização dielétrica em radio freqüência foi realizada por Espectroscopia em Impedância a qual se verificou dois mecanismos de condutividade para todas as amostras analisadas, um em baixa freqüência e outro em alta freqüência. Os modelos de relaxação dielétrica se aproximam do modelo do tipo Cole-Cole. As medidas na faixa de microondas foram obtidas utilizando-se o método hakki-coleman e monopolo, chegou-se a um coeficiente de temperatura da frequência de ressonância (tAU f) próximo de zero com adição de V2O5. As medidas de permissividade dielétrica em radiofreqüência e microondas, realizadas em temperatura ambiente, tiveram um alto valor constante (εr ≈ 150) com a adição de 1% de V2O5, e um valor da tangente de perda relativamente baixa em relação à família de Aurivillus (tan[δ] ≈10-2 ) em 2 GHz.. Uma simulação numérica foi realizada com cada amostra verificando-se aproximação com os dados experimentais. Nas amostras dopadas com terras raras foi verificado o fenômeno de conversão ascendente de energia com a presença de bandas intensas amostras de emissão de luz visível na região do verde e de bandas de menor intensidade na região do vermelho. O Material investigado tem potencial para aplicação em memórias voláteis, filtros capacitivos e componentes ópticos, como sensores, células fotoelétricas e leds.

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Raquel de Almeida Ribeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Física, 2017. / Em Física da Matéria Condesada, as terras raras apresentam um papel importante em várias aplicações tecnológicas. Suas camadas 4f incompletas possuem enumeras con- gurações diferentes possibilitando o desenvolvimento e melhoramento de propriedades interessantes. Materiais supercondutores, lasers de estado sólido, radares e ímãs permanentes são bons exemplos de dispositivos que utilizam materiais desenvolvidos com terras raras. Quando terras raras são colocadas em um material matriz, as interações entre esses elementos ou entre a matriz e as terras raras fazem com que os seus estados eletrônicos mudem. Estruturas cristalinas apresentam campo elétrico cristalino, cuja teoria desenvolvida no século passado foi amplamente estudada e aplicada à vários grupos de simetria em cristais bulk. Até o momento, porém, muito pouco tem sido estudado a respeito de como o campo elétrico de estruturas não convencionais, como quasicristias e nanocristais, afeta os autoestados das terras raras. Portanto, o objetivo desse projeto foi analizar o efeito de campo elétrico cristalino em dois tipos de materiais: Nanopartículas cúbicas com tamanho de 8 nm e quasicristais icosaédricos, bem como seu aproximante. Para isso, nanopartículas de NaY1..xRExF4 (RE = Yb, Er, Dy, Gd) foram sintetizadas pelo método de termo-decomposição e quasicristais de Au-Al-Yb foram crescidos em forno a arco. Para a determinação parâmetros de campo elétrico cristalino Bm n , foram feitos ajustes das curvas de magnetização dependentes da temperatura e do campo magnético aplicado. Além disso, para os quasicristais foi encontrado um grupo de simetria pontual equivalente e seus parâmetros de campo elétrico cristalino foram comparados com os de seus aproximantes. Com isso, observou-se que somente parâmetros de segunda ordem apresentaram uma diferença signicativa quando comparados entre essas duas estruturas; B0 2 é 20 vezes maior para a estrutura quasicristalina. Para as nanopartículas cúbicas, uma Hamiltoniana total foi proposta e com isso foi feita um simulação para determinar a separação total dos níveis de energia da camada incompleta 4f das terras raras. Além disso, o espectro de Up conversion foi medido e comparado com a simulação teórica. A largura de linha do espectro teórico, 470 20 K, para a transição 4S3=2 ! 4I15=2 , é comparável aos resultados empíricos, 650 50 K. O estado fundamental dos sistemas foi conrmado pela técnica de Ressonância Eletrônica de Spin. Dessa forma, foi estabelecida uma realação de como a separação total dos multipletos-J afeta a emissão de Up conversion destas NP's. / In Condensed Matter Physics, rare earth elements play an important role in several technological applications. Their complex 4f unfullled shell presents numerous dierent congurations, making possible to engineer or tune interesting properties. Superconductors, solid state lasers, radars and permanent magnets are some examples of cutting edge devices using materials developed with rare earth elements. When a rare earth ion is placed in a host material, their interactions with each other or with the host lattice are responsible for the arrangement of their electronic state. Crystalline structures exhibit the crystal eld eect, whose theory developed in the last century has been largely applied and studied to various point group symmetries in bulk crystals. However, there is a lack of researches in how the electric eld of non-conventional host lattices, such as quasicrystals and nanocrystals, aect rare earth's eigenstates. Therefore, the aim of this project was to analyze the crystal eld eect in two dierent kind of materials: Cubic nanoparticles with 8 nm in size and icosahedral bulk quasicristals, as well as their crystal approximant. For that, NaY1..xRExF4 (RE = Yb, Er, Dy, Gd) nanoparticles were synthesized by temperature decomposition and Au-Al- Yb quasicrystals were grown by arc-melting. Fittings of the thermal and eld dependent magnetization were used to determine the crystal electric eld parameters Bmn . In the quasicrystal material case, an equivalent point group symmetry was obtained and their crystal electric eld parameters were compared with the ones of their approximant. Only parameters of second order substantially diered between both structures, B02 was found out to be around 20 times larger than that for the approximant. Moreover, in the cubic nanostructures case, the overall splitting of the 4f unfullled shell of the RE elements was determined diagonalizing a proposed total Hamiltonian, whose terms include the Crystal Electric Field parameters. In addition, the up-conversion light emission signal was acquired and compared with a theoretical simulation. The theoretical up-conversion light emission line-width found out as 471 20 K, for the transition 4S3=2 ! 4I15=2 , is comparable to empirical results, 650 50 K. The ground state of the systems was conrmed by Electron Spin Resonance analysis. In this case, a relation with how the overall energy splitting of the J-multiplets aect the UC conversion light emission of theses NP's was established.

Imaging techniques have been developed for decades for the detection of biomolecules in biomedicine cells, in vitro or in living cells and organisms. The application however, often constrained by the available probes, whose optical properties may limit the imaging possibilities. It is very essential to improve the sensitivity of these devices by enhancing efficiency to detection. Recently, Fe3O4 has been used primarily in cancer theranostic application such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, its toxicity towards normal cells has been pointed out by scientific communities, when they are involved in in vitro (helics) cancer treatment. In this work, we have chosen to use α-Fe2O3, because it has proven to be less toxic than Fe3O4. Hematite is antiferromagnetic (AFM) at room temperature with a small canted moment lying within the crystal symmetry plane. At low temperature, hematite undergoes a magnetic phase transition from weak ferromagnetic (WFM) to a pure antiferromagnetic configuration (AF), which is known as the Morin transition. This magnetic property makes it possible for hematite to be applied in imaging technique. To enhance the optical properties, the α-Fe2O3 is doped with lanthanide ions due to their unique optical properties. Incorporation of these rare earth ions, enable the α-Fe2O3 to have enhance luminescence properties. Imaging techniques have been developed for decades for the detection of biomolecules in biomedicine cells, in vitro or in living cells and organisms. The application however, often constrained by the available probes, whose optical properties may limit the imaging possibilities. It is very essential to improve the sensitivity of these devices by enhancing efficiency to detection. Recently, Fe3O4 has been used primarily in cancer theranostic application such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, its toxicity towards normal cells has been pointed out by scientific communities, when they are involved in in vitro (helics) cancer treatment. In this work, we have chosen to use α-Fe2O3, because it has proven to be less toxic than Fe3O4. Hematite is antiferromagnetic (AFM) at room temperature with a small canted moment lying within the crystal symmetry plane. At low temperature, hematite undergoes a magnetic phase transition from weak ferromagnetic (WFM) to a pure antiferromagnetic configuration (AF), which is known as the Morin transition. This magnetic property makes it possible for hematite to be applied in imaging technique. To enhance the optical properties, the α-Fe2O3 is doped with lanthanide ions due to their unique optical properties. Incorporation of these rare earth ions, enable the α-Fe2O3 to have enhance luminescence properties. These lanthanide-doped nanoparticles (UCNPs) undergoes up-conversion process which have remarkable ability to combine two or more low energy photons to generate a singly high energy photon by an anti-stokes process and hold great promise for bio-imaging. These nanoparticles exhibit excellent photostability, continuous emission capability and sharp multi-peak line emission. With near infrared excitation, light scattering by biological tissues is substantially reduced. α-Fe2O3 have been singly and co-doped with Holmium, Thulium, and Ytterbium by both sol-gel and microwave methods. The doping of these lanthanides have shown improved luminescent properties of α-Fe2O3. The up-conversion has been observed from co-doping Thulium and Ytterbium. This work is a proof of concept to show the up-conversion in α-Fe2O3. However, the up-conversion intensity is low about 200000 CPS maximum observed, this could be due to the nature of the host structure quenching the luminescence. There is rather, a need to increase the intensity for the maximum application to be achieved. / Physics