Boosting the Downconversion Luminescence of Tm3+-Doped Nanoparticles for S-Band Polymer Waveguide Amplifier.

Polymer waveguide devices have attracted increasing interest in several rapidly developing areas of broadband communications since they are easily adaptable to on-chip integration and promise low propagation losses. As a key member of the waveguide gain medium, lanthanide doped nanoparticles have been intensively studied to improve the downconversion luminescence. However, current research efforts are almost confined to erbium-doped nanoparticles and amplifiers operating at the C-band; boosting the downconversion luminescence of Tm3+ for S-band optical amplification still remains a challenge. Here we report a Tb3+-induced deactivation control to enhance Tm3+ downconversion luminescence in a stoichiometric Yb lattice without suffering from concentration quenching. We also demonstrate their potential application in an S-band waveguide amplifier and record a maximum optical gain of 18 dB at 1464 nm. Our findings provide valuable insights into the fundamental understanding of deactivation-controlled luminescence enhancement and open up a new avenue toward the development of an S-band polymer waveguide amplifier with high gain.

Orthogonal Trichromatic Upconversion with High Color Purity in Core-Shell Nanoparticles for a Full-Color Display.

Materials with tunable emission colors has attracted increasing interest in both fundamental research and applications. As a key member of light-emitting materials family, lanthanide doped upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) have been intensively demonstrated to emit light in any color upon near-infrared excitation. However, realizing the trichromatic emission in UCNPs with a fixed composition remains a great challenge. Here, without excitation pulsed modulation and three different near-infrared pumping, we report an experimental design to fine-control emission in the full color gamut from core-shell-structured UCNPs by manipulating the energy migration through dual-channel pump scheme. We also demonstrate their potential application in full-color display. These findings may benefit the future development of convenient and versatile optical methos for multicolor tuning and open up the possibility of constructing full-color volumetric display systems with high spatiotemporal resolution.

The Effect of Atrial Septal Defect in the Treatment of ARDS with Left Ventricular Dysfunction Simulating Severe COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of atrial septal defect (ASD) and venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) in the treatment of ARDS combined with left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) to find a new effective method for treating severe COVID-19 patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five large animal ARDS models of sheep were established by intravenous injection of Lipopolysaccharide. ASD was made under general anesthesia and VA-ECMO was simulated by extracorporeal circulation machine. The oxygenation of peripheral blood, systemic circulation, and cardiac function were observed under conditions of closed and opened ASD, and the significance of ASD shunt in improving cardiopulmonary function was evaluated. RESULTS: With ASD closed, the atrial shunts disappeared, the peripheral artery pressure of oxygen(PaO2): 141.2±21.4mmHg, the oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2): 353.0±53.5, the mean blood pressure (MAP): 49.3±13.5 mmHg, the heart was full; with ASD opened, the left-to-right shunt was observed, PaO2: 169.3±18.9mmHg, PaO2/FiO2: 423.3±47.3, MAP: 68.2±16.1 mmHg, the range of cardiac motion significantly increased, heart beat was powerful, and systemic circulation significantly improved. Statistical analysis showed that there were significant differences between opened and closed ASD (P < .01). CONCLUSION: ASD plus VA-ECMO is an effective method for the treatment of ARDS combined with LVD, which is the main cause of death in severe COVID-19 patients. However, further clinical validation is needed.

High-Performance X-Ray Imaging using Lanthanide Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Scintillating materials that convert ionizing radiation into low-energy photons hold great potential for radiation detection, nondestructive inspection, medical radiography, and space exploration. However, organic scintillators are characterized by low radioluminescence, while bulky inorganic scintillators are not suitable for the development of flexible detectors. Here, high-resolution X-ray imaging using solution-processable lanthanide-based metal-organic frameworks as microscale scintillators is demonstrated. Mechanistic studies suggest that lanthanide ions absorb X-rays to generate high-density molecular triplet excitons, and excited linkers subsequently sensitize lanthanide ions via nonradiative resonance energy transfer. Furthermore, the crystalline nature offers a delocalized electronic feature rather than isolated subunits, which enables direct trapping of charge carriers by lanthanide emitters. By controlling the concentration ratio between Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions, efficient and color-tunable radioluminescence of lanthanide ions can be achieved. When coupled with elastic, transparent polymer matrices, these metal-organic framework-based microscintillators allow the fabrication of flexible X-ray detectors. Such detectors feature a detection limit of 23 nGy s-1 , which is 240 times lower than the typical radiation dose for medical diagnosis. X-ray imaging with resolution higher than 16.6 line pairs per millimeter is further demonstrated. These findings provide insight into the future design of hybrid scintillators for optoelectronics and X-ray sensing and imaging.