Silver nanoparticle enhanced luminescence of [Ru(phen)3]Cl2 for thermal imaging application

The temperature dependent photoluminescence of temperature sensitive paint (TSP) makes it an attractive candidate for infrared (IR) thermal imaging, but its low luminescence intensity and poor photostability hinder its extensive use in infrared detectors . Herein, a novel complex luminophore of AgNPs/[Ru(phen) 3 ]Cl 2 /PVDF was designed to fabricate a thermal imaging device with improved sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio. It is found that the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) could enhance the local intensity of the excitation light , consequently an increase in the luminescence intensity of neighboring luminophore can be achieved. Thus, not only the fluorescence intensity of the obtained sensor array is enhanced, but the temperature sensitivity is also improved to − 4.5%/K at 20 °C, which increased by 25% compared to that of the blank film without AgNPs addition. Furthermore, the detector array is used for IR thermal imaging, which can successfully obtain the thermal images of observation object at room temperature . The minimal detectable temperature is as small as about 313 K.