3D up-conversion display of NaYF4-PMMA covalent-linking nanocomposites

Highly transparent upconversion (UC) NaYF4-PMMA covalent-linking nanocomposites were synthesized by copolymerization of NaYF4 nanoparticles (NPs) and methyl-methacrylate (MMA). In this technique, the UC NPs functionalized with unsaturated CC bonds were linked to the polymer chains via covalent bonds, making the inorganic UC NPs disperse homogeneously and stably in the NPs-PMMA nanocomposites. Under the near-infrared (NIR) excitation of 980 nm laser, these NPs-PMMA nanocomposites can emit bright visible UC luminescence and the emission colors can be easily controlled by doping or co-doping different UC NPs. Using these transparent NPs-PMMA nanocomposites as display medium, 3D structural UC luminescent images were generated via the computer-controlled 980 nm laser scanning. The visualization and the adjustable color of 3D image endow the potential application of the NPs-PMMA nanocomposites for three dimensional (3D) solid-state multicolor display.