Research Article

Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle

Number: 065 June 30, 2026

Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle

Abstract

Luminescence particles are very important in analysis or in a variety of other applications like environmental sensing, biological imaging and disease diagnosis to name but a few. UCNP is capable of changing near-infrared excitation to visible light emissions referred to as anti-Stokes luminescence. This minimizes the interference of the natural autofluorescence in biological samples. The ease of penetration into the samples and their depth by the fluorophores, in addition to the fact that the particles are chemically stable and thus superior to traditional fluorophores. In order to expand the use of UCNP applications to non-controlled lab environments, an increasing demand exists in the provision of compact user-friendly instrumentation. A portable spectrophotometer optimally designed to measure UCNP quantitatively was developed in this study. The machine has a safe zone having special lid enclosure to keep the cuvette containing UCNP solution. The enclosure blocks all the light when it is closed, which prevents the measurements of the enclosure against external influences. It has a TSL2591 light sensor to measure the emitted luminescence and a fiber optic connection to excite the UCNPs with a 980 nm near-infrared laser beam with a 500 mW power output. Wireless communication is offered with the help of a router linked to a developed Android application. This application enables one to handle materials, calibrate device, trade in data, and plot correlation and calibration curves. Tests done following calibration indicated a R2 value of 0.76 and 0.839 between computed and experimental values of UCNP.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (BAP).

Project Number

This study was supported by Akdeniz University Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (BAP) under project number FYL-2022-5785.

References

  1. [1] A. J. Das, A. Wahi, I. Kothari, and R. Raskar, “Ultra-portable, wireless smartphone spectrometer for rapid, non-destructive testing of fruit ripeness”, Sci. Rep. 6, 32504, 2016, doi:10.1038/srep32504.
  2. [2] J. Wu, J. Wu, W. Wei, Y. Zhang, and Q. Chen, Upconversion nanoparticles based sensing: from design to point-of-care testing, Nano-Micro Small, 20 (29), 2024, doi:10.1002/smll.202311729.
  3. [3] A. Das, Portable uv–visible spectroscopy – instrumentation, technology, and applications, in portable spectroscopy and spectrometry, Wiley, 179-207, 2021, doi:10.1002/9781119636489.ch8.
  4. [4] D. Giust et al., Graphene oxide-upconversion nanoparticle based portable sensors for assessing nutritional deficiencies in crops, ACS Nano, 6(2), 6273–6279, 2018, doi:10.1021/acsnano.8b03261.
  5. [5] Z. Zhu, Smartphone-based apparatus for measuring upconversion luminescence lifetimes. Anal Chim Acta, 1054, 122-127, 2019, doi: 10.1016/j.aca.2018.12.016.
  6. [6] Y. Rasmi, X. Li, J. Khan, T. Ozer, and J. R. Choi, Emerging point-of-care biosensors for rapid diagnosis of COVID-19: current progress, challenges, and future prospects, Anal Bioanal Chem, 413, 4137-4159, 2021, doi:10.1007/s00216-021-03377-6.
  7. [7] W. Jiang et al., A Comprehensive review on upconversion nanomaterials-based fluorescent sensor for environment, biology, food and medicine applications, Biosensors, 12(11), 1036, 2022, doi:10.3390/bios12111036.
  8. [8] Y. Gong et al., A portable and universal upconversion nanoparticle-based lateral flow assay platform for point-of-care testing, Talanta201, 126-133, 2019, doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2019.03.105.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Nanochemistry, Circuits and Systems

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 30, 2026

Submission Date

November 21, 2025

Acceptance Date

March 8, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: 065

APA
Sapmaz, T., Albayrak, Y., Ateş, B., & Asiltürk, M. (2026). Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle. Journal of Scientific Reports-A, 065, 107-124. https://doi.org/10.59313/jsr-a.1827863
AMA
1.Sapmaz T, Albayrak Y, Ateş B, Asiltürk M. Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle. JSR-A. 2026;(065):107-124. doi:10.59313/jsr-a.1827863
Chicago
Sapmaz, Tarık, Yalcin Albayrak, Burhan Ateş, and Meltem Asiltürk. 2026. “Development of a Portable Spectrophotometer for the Detection of Upconversion Nanoparticle”. Journal of Scientific Reports-A, nos. 065: 107-24. https://doi.org/10.59313/jsr-a.1827863.
EndNote
Sapmaz T, Albayrak Y, Ateş B, Asiltürk M (June 1, 2026) Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle. Journal of Scientific Reports-A 065 107–124.
IEEE
[1]T. Sapmaz, Y. Albayrak, B. Ateş, and M. Asiltürk, “Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle”, JSR-A, no. 065, pp. 107–124, June 2026, doi: 10.59313/jsr-a.1827863.
ISNAD
Sapmaz, Tarık - Albayrak, Yalcin - Ateş, Burhan - Asiltürk, Meltem. “Development of a Portable Spectrophotometer for the Detection of Upconversion Nanoparticle”. Journal of Scientific Reports-A. 065 (June 1, 2026): 107-124. https://doi.org/10.59313/jsr-a.1827863.
JAMA
1.Sapmaz T, Albayrak Y, Ateş B, Asiltürk M. Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle. JSR-A. 2026;:107–124.
MLA
Sapmaz, Tarık, et al. “Development of a Portable Spectrophotometer for the Detection of Upconversion Nanoparticle”. Journal of Scientific Reports-A, no. 065, June 2026, pp. 107-24, doi:10.59313/jsr-a.1827863.
Vancouver
1.Tarık Sapmaz, Yalcin Albayrak, Burhan Ateş, Meltem Asiltürk. Development of a portable spectrophotometer for the detection of upconversion nanoparticle. JSR-A. 2026 Jun. 1;(065):107-24. doi:10.59313/jsr-a.1827863