This critical review reports recent advances in the development of metal–organic complexes for optoelectronic applications.

Anti-Stokes shift luminescence is a special optical process, which converts long-wavelength excitation to short-wavelength emission. This unique ability is especially helpful for bio-applications, because the longer-wavelength light source, usually referring to near infrared light, has a larger penetration depth offering a longer working distance for in vivo applications. The anti-Stokes shift luminescence signal can also be distinguished from the auto-fluorescence of biological tissues, thus reducing background interference during bioimaging. Herein, we summarize recent advances in anti-Stokes shift luminescent materials, including lanthanide and triplet–triplet-annihilation-based upconversion nanomaterials, and newly improved hot-band absorption-based luminescent materials. We focus on the synthetic strategies, optical optimization and biological applications as well as present comparative discussions on the luminescence mechanisms and characteristics of these three types of luminescent materials.

Temperature is an essential factor that counts for living systems where complicated vital activities are usually temperature dependent. In vivo temperature mapping based on non-contact optical approach will be beneficial for revealing the physiological phenomena behind with minimized influence to the organism. Herein, a highly thermal-sensitive upconversion system based on triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) mechanism is pioneered to indicate body temperature variation sensitively over the physiological temperature range. The temperature-insensitive NaYF₄: Nd nanophosphors with NIR emission was incorporated into the temperature-responsive TTA-upconversion system to serve as an internal calibration unit. Consequently, a ratiometric thermometer capable of accurately monitoring the temperature changes in vivo was developed with high thermal sensitivity (~7.1% K⁻¹) and resolution (~0.1 K).