Upconversion nanoparticles capable of strongly absorbing photons in a wide spectral range are highly desired for practical applications. In this work, IR-806 dye was used to increase the light absorptivity of Nd3+/Yb3+/Er3+ tri-doped core/shell nanoparticles and then to enhance their upconversion luminescence under similar to 800 nm excitation. The IR-806 dye exhibited more efficient energy transfer to Nd3+ ions than to Yb3+ ions for subsequent upconversion emission due to the increased spectral overlap between the dye emission and Nd3+ absorption. The influence of the Nd3+ concentration in the shell and the dye/nanoparticle ratio on the dye-sensitization effect was also investigated. A maximum 28-fold overall enhancement in the emission intensity was achieved for NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+@NaYF4:Yb3+/Nd3+ core/shell nanoparticles using dye sensitization. The dye-sensitized NaYF4:Yb3+/Er3+@NaYF4:Yb3+/Nd3+ core/shell nanoparticles also exhibited increased photothermal conversion capabilities and excellent temperature sensing properties, enabling their potential application in photothermal nanoheaters with real-time temperature monitoring under 808 nm single beam excitation. (C) 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.