Standards for photoluminescence quantum yield measurements in solution (IUPAC Technical Report)

The use of standards for the measurement of photoluminescence quantum yields (QYs) in dilute solutions is reviewed. Only three standards can be considered well established. Another group of six standards has been investigated by several independent researchers. A large group of standards is frequently used in recent literature, but the validity of these is less certain. The needs for future development comprise: (i) confirmation of the validity of the QY values of many commonly used standard materials, preferably in the form of SI traceable standards; (ii) extension of the set of standard materials to the UV and near-IR spectral ranges; and (iii) good standards or robust protocols for the measurements of low QYs.