Using Scanning Probe Microscopy to Precisely Select Nanoparticles Based on Yb- and Er-Doped NaYF4 and YVO4 That Display Upconversion Luminescent Properties from an Ensemble with Displacement on Nanometer Scales and Angular Orientations

Abstract

It is shown that a scanning probe microscope allows precise manipulation of an ensemble of upconversion nanoparticles deposited uncontrollably on the surface of a glass substrate. The possibility of controlled movement of such particles over distances of several tens of micrometers is demonstrated, leaving several upconversion nanoparticles separated from others (or small conglomerates of them) on a surface with an area of ∼10⁴ μm². The system of marks on the substrate makes it easy to find such particles and perform a series of manipulations, including movements over submicrometer distances and rotation at a given angle of a single upconversion nanoparticle. The force of an individual upconversion nanoparticle’s adhesion to the surface of a substrate is estimated.