Ecophotonics: assessment of temperature gradient in aquatic organisms using up-conversion luminescent particles

In the frameworks of developing ecophotonics, we consider the possibility of applying luminescence spectroscopy for monitoring conditions of aquatic organisms, aimed at the study and prognosis of the effect of human activity and climate changes on the environment. The method of luminescence spectroscopy in combination with anti-Stokes luminophores (up-conversion particles) used as optical sensors is used for the noninvasive assessment of the temperature gradient in the internal tissues of aquatic organisms. It is shown that the temperature dependence of the intensity ratio observed in the maxima of the luminescence spectrum bands of the particles Y₂O₃ : Yb, Er, administered in a biological object, is linear. This fact offers a possibility of using the up-conversion particles for assessing the metabolic activity of different tissues, including those in the framework of ecological monitoring.