Upconversion Luminescent Nanoheaters

Upconversion luminescent nanoheaters possess both upconversion photoluminescence and photothermal conversion, and could be utilized to construct multi-functional nanoplatforms in application fields such as biomedicine and cancer therapy. The ability of photothermal heating, luminescent imaging, and luminescent thermometry endows luminescent nanoheaters with great potential for applications. According to the host structure of the nanoheaters, there are inorganic luminescent nanoheaters and hybrid luminescent nanoheaters. Hybrid nanoheaters are further divided into inorganic-inorganic and inorganic–organic types. Inorganic nanoheaters are simple in structure and easy to be synthesized, while hybrid nanoheaters have more functions for various applications. In this chapter, recent research examples of upconversion luminescent nanoheaters and related applications are overviewed. Some research challenges are briefly discussed and future prospects are also envisioned.