Vacuum Ultraviolet Excited Photoluminescence Properties of Y2O2S：Eu^3＋,Bi^3＋ Phosphor

As an Hg-free lamp using phosphor, the Bi^3＋ and EH^3＋ co-doped Y2O2S phosphors were prepared and their luminescence properties under vacuum ultraviolet（VUV） excitation were investigated. The VUV photoluminescent intensity of Y2O2S：Eu^3＋ was weak, however, considerably stronger red emission at 626 nm with good color purity was observed in Y2O2S：Eu^3＋,Bi^3＋ systems. Investigation on the photoluminescence reveals that the strong VUV luminescence of Y2O2S：Eu^3＋,Bi^3＋ at 147 nm is mainly because the Bi^3＋ acts as a medium and effectively performs the energy transfer process： Y^3＋-O^2-→Bi^3＋→Eu^3＋, while the intense emission band at 172 nm is attributed to the absorption of the characteristic ^1So-^1P1 transition of Bi^3＋ and the direct energy transfer from Bi^3＋ to Eu^3＋. The Y2O2S：Eu^3＋,Bi^3＋ shows excellent VUV optical properties compared with the commercial （Y,Gd）BO3：Eu^3＋. Thus, the Y2O2S：Eu^3＋,Bi^3＋ can be a potential red VUV-excited candidate applied in Hg-free lamps for backlight of liquid crystal display.     

Integration of high-thermal-responsive color change and invisible emission intensity ratio in Gd2Mo4O15 lattice with the desired structure

Thermal-responsive upconversion luminescence (UCL) is of interest due to its potential application in anti-counterfeiting and temperature sensing. However, integrating the multi-model emission intensity ratios with high-thermal sensitivity, especially those involving invisible UCL, into a single host lattice remains challenging. In this work, the color change of blue to bluish-purple and invisible emission intensity ratio with a temperature sensitivity as high as 13.47% K^?1, thanks to the crossover-reduced thermal quenching and the Yb³⁺-MoO₄^2- dimer sensitization, are available in the monoclinic Gd₂Mo₄O₁₅:Yb³⁺/Tm³⁺. Moreover, the temperature-dependent color response is tunable, such as the introduction of Er³⁺ results in a color change from blue to bluish-green. Our results allow promising temperature-dependent UCL applications and open the opportunity for other functional materials based on Re₂Mo₄O₁₅ with desirable phase structures.     

Visible and infrared luminescence properties of Er-doped Y2Ti2O7 nanocrystals

Er³⁺-doped Y₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals were fabricated by the sol-gel method. While the annealing temperature exceeds 757 °C, amorphous pyrochlore phase Er_xY_2−xTi₂O₇ transfers to well-crystallized nanocrystals, and the average crystal size increases from ∼70 to ∼180 nm under 800-1000 °C/1 h annealing. Er_xY_2−xTi₂O₇ nanocrystals absorbing 980 nm photons can produce the upconversion (526, 547, and 660 nm; ²H_11/2→⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2, and ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2, respectively) and Stokes (1528 nm; ⁴I_13/2→⁴I_15/2) photoluminescence (PL). The infrared PL decay curve is single-exponential for Er³⁺ (5 mol%)-doped Y₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals but slightly nonexponential for Er³⁺ (10 mol%)-doped Y₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals. For 5 and 10 mol% doping concentrations, the mechanism of up-converted green light is the two-photon excited-state absorption. Much stronger intensity of red light relative to green light was observed for the sample with 10 mol% dopant. This phenomenon can be attributed to the reduced distance between Er³⁺-Er³⁺ ions, resulting in the enhancement of the energy-transfer upconversion and cross-relaxation mechanisms.     

Infrared‐to‐Visible Light Conversion in Er3+–Yb3+:Lu3Ga5O12 Nanogarnets

Er³⁺–Yb³⁺ co‐doped Lu₃Ga₅O₁₂ nanogarnets were prepared and characterized; their structural and luminescence properties were determined as a function of the Yb³⁺ concentration. The morphology of the nanogarnets was studied by HRTEM. Under 488 nm excitation, the nanogarnets emit green, red, and near‐infrared light. The decay curves for the (⁴S_3/2, ²H_11/2) and ⁴F_9/2 levels of the Er³⁺ions exhibit a non‐exponential nature under resonant laser excitation and their effective lifetimes are found to decrease with an increase in the Yb³⁺ concentration from 1.0 to 10.0 mol %. The non‐exponential decay curves are well fitted to the Inokuti–Hirayama model for S=8, indicating that the mechanism of interaction for energy transfer between the optically active ions is of dipole–quadrupole type. Upon 976 nm laser excitation, an intense green upconverted emission is clearly observed by the naked eyes. A significant enhancement of the red‐to‐green intensity ratio of Er³⁺ ions was observed with an increase in Yb³⁺ concentration. The power dependence and the dynamics of the upconverted emission confirm the existence of two‐photon upconversion processes for the green and red emissions.     

Application of TiO2/Er3+:Y3Al5O12 composite to photo-degrade acid red B dye under sun light irradiation

In this work, an upconversion luminescence agent, Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂, was synthesized and its absorption and fluorescent spectra was determined. By calculation, the upconversion efficiency of the emission peak at 320 nm was estimated to be about 3.4%. And then, TiO₂/Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O¹² composite was prepared by simple ultrasonic dispersion and liquids boil methods. The obtained composite was characterized by X-ray diffrac-tion. The effect of TiO₂/Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ composite with different Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ doping amount, heat-treated temperature and heat-treated time on photodegradation of acid red B under sun light was investigated in detail. It was found that the photocatalytic activity of TiO₂/Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ composite was much higher than that for the similar system with only TiO₂ powder. These results support the usefulness of TiO₂/Er³⁺:Y₃Al₅O₁₂ composite in the process of photodegrading dye wastewater and using the sun light.     

Up/downconversion luminescence rare-earth ion-doped Y2O3 1D nanocrystals

Multicolor luminescent rare-earth ion-doped Y2O3 nanocrystals(NCs) were prepared by a solvethermal method.The as-synthesized NCs yielded nanosheets,nanowires(NWs) and nanorods(NRs) with the increase of alkali(NaOH) in oleic acid system.Moreover,Y2O3 nanowires with controllable size have also been obtained.After sintering,the PL intensity of Y2O3:Ln 3+ nanocrystals increased with the changed morphology of the precursor,that is,Y(OH) 3 nanocrystals.Both downconversion(red emission for Y2O3:Eu 3+ and green emission for Y2O3:Tb 3+) and upconversion(red emission for Y2O3:Yb/Er 3+) luminescence of the as-prepared nanocrystals have been demonstrated in this work.We also found that the PL intensity of Y2O3:Ln 3+ NCs dispersed in polar solvent was stronger than that in nonpolar solvent.Their up/downconversion fluorescence and controllable morphology might promise further fundamental research and biochemistry such as nanoscale optoelectronics,nanolasers,and ultrasensitive multicolor biolables.     

White luminescence of Tm-Dy ions co-doped aluminoborosilicate glasses under UV light excitation

Tm³⁺ and Dy³⁺ ions co-doped aluminoborosilicate glasses were prepared in this study. The luminescence properties of the glasses were analyzed. A combination of blue, green, yellow, and red emission bands was shown for these glasses, and white light emission could be observed under UV light excitation. White light luminescence color could be changed by varying the excitation wavelength. Concentration quenching effect was investigated in this paper. Furthermore, the dependence of luminescence properties on glass compositions was studied. Results showed that the luminescence intensity changed with different network modifier oxides, while the white color luminescence was not affected significantly.     

Lanthanide-doped LiYF4 nanoparticles: Synthesis and multicolor upconversion tuning

We report the synthesis of tetragonal-phase LiYF₄ nanoparticles doped with upconverting lanthanide ions. The nanoparticles have been characterized by XRD, TEM, and luminescence decay studies. The size of the as-synthesized LiYF₄ nanoparticles can be tuned by varying the precursor ratio of F to lanthanide ions. Passivated by oleic acid ligands, the LiYF₄ nanoparticles can be readily dispersed in a wide range of nonpolar solvents including hexane, cyclohexane, dichloromethane, and toluene. The lanthanide-doped (Yb³⁺, Er³⁺, Tm³⁺, Ho³⁺) LiYF₄ nanoparticles show intense upconversion emissions upon near infrared excitation at 980 nm. By varying composition and concentration of the dopant ions, the color output can be precisely modulated under single wavelength excitation with a diode laser.     

Solution combustion synthesized Y2O3 nanoparticles and influence of Dy doping on their microstructural,optical, and photoluminescence characteristics

Dy-doped Y₂O₃ nanoparticles were synthesized by solution combustion route with urea as fuel, and their microstructural features were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XRD study confirms the formation of a pure cubic phase of Y₂O₃, with the maximum textural coefficient along the (2 2 2) plane for the Dy-doped samples. The lattice fringes in the HRTEM image and the bright spotty rings in the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern reveal the highly crystalline nature of the nanoparticles. From the diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, using Kubelka-Monk theory, the direct bandgap energy is estimated to be 5.61 eV for the undoped Y₂O₃, which is found to decrease upon Dy³⁺ doping. The room-temperature excitation spectra of the nanoparticles recorded at 575 nm emission wavelength comprise several excitation bands corresponding to the f-f transitions of Dy³⁺ ions in the host lattice. The photoluminescence spectra of the nanoparticles excited at the wavelength of 350 nm comprise three visible emission peaks at 477 nm (blue), 573 nm (yellow), and 666 nm (red). It has been concluded that the 0.5 mol% Dy-doped Y₂O₃ nanoparticles are the potential candidate to be used for solid-state luminescent device applications.     

Enhancement of the Up-conversion Luminescence of 12CaO · 7Al2O3:Tm3+/Yb3+ Doped with Alkaline Earth Metal Ions

12CaO?·?7Al₂O₃ doped with lanthanide is characterized by remarkable and technologically important up-conversion emission. However, the low up-conversion efficiency still remains the main limitation for practical applications. To improve the efficiency, bivalent alkaline earth ions (Mg²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺)-tridoped Tm³⁺/Yb³⁺/12CaO?·?7Al₂O₃ were synthesized through a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The up-conversion luminescence properties of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction, fluorescence spectral measurement pump power, and fluorescence decay curves. The luminescence intensity of samples was significantly enhanced by bivalent alkaline earth ions. 12CaO?·?7Al₂O₃ doped with Sr²⁺ ions has stronger effects on up-conversion enhancement, which is better than Mg²⁺ and Ba²⁺. The up-conversion emission intensity was enhanced by 318 times and the red emission intensity by 218 times with 10?mol% Sr²⁺ ion. Additionally, the blue and red up-conversion emission peaks at 475 and 650?nm corresponding to energy transitions of ¹G₄ → ³H₆ and ¹G₄ → ³F₄, ³F₂ → ³H₆ were characterized using steady-state rate equations.     

Upconversion Luminescence Properties of a LiNb0.3Ta0.7O3:Er3+,Yb3+ Ceramic

A co-doped LiNb_0.3Ta_0.7O₃:Er³⁺,Yb³⁺ ceramic was prepared by a high temperature solid state procedure. Under the excitation of 980 nm laser radiation, intense 660 nm red light and 550 nm green light emissions corresponding to the ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2 and ²H_11/2/⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2 transitions of Er³⁺ were observed. The change of Yb³⁺ concentration has a more significant influence on luminous intensity than the Er³⁺ concentration. The emission of red and green lights is attributed to a two-photon process. The upconversion luminescence mechanisms were analyzed in detail.     

Vacuum ultraviolet and near-infrared excited luminescence properties of Ca3(PO4)2:RE, Na (RE=Tb, Yb, Er, Tm, and Ho)

Tb³⁺, Yb³⁺, Tm³⁺, Er³⁺, and Ho³⁺ doped Ca₃(PO₄)₂ were synthesized by solid-state reaction, and their luminescence properties were studied by spectra techniques. Tb³⁺-doped samples can exhibit intense green emission under VUV excitation, and the brightness for the optimal Tb³⁺ content is comparable with that of the commercial Zn₂SiO₄:Mn²⁺ green phosphor. Under near-infrared laser excitation, the upconversion luminescence spectra of Yb³⁺, Tm³⁺, Er³⁺, and Ho³⁺ doped samples demonstrate that the red, green, and blue tricolored fluorescence could be obtained by codoping Yb³⁺-Ho³⁺, Yb³⁺-Er³⁺, and Yb³⁺-Tm³⁺ in Ca₃(PO₄)₂, respectively. Good white upconversion emission with CIE chromaticity coordinates (0.358, 0.362) is achieved by quadri-doping Yb³⁺-Tm³⁺-Er³⁺-Ho³⁺ in Ca₃(PO₄)₂, in which the cross-relaxation process between Er³⁺ and Tm³⁺, producing the ¹D₂-³F₄ transition of Tm³⁺, is found. The upconversion mechanisms are elucidated through the laser power dependence of the upconverted emissions and the energy level diagrams.     

Controllable Red,Green, Blue (RGB) and Bright White Upconversion Luminescence of Lu2O3:Yb3+/Er3+/Tm3+ Nanocrystals through Single Laser Excitation at 980 nm

Light fantastic! Lu₂O₃:Yb³⁺/Er³⁺/Tm³⁺ nanocrystals with controllable red, green, blue (RGB) and bright white upconversion luminescence by a single laser excitation of 980 nm have been successfully synthesized (see picture). Due to abundant UC PL colors, it can potentially be used as fluorophores in the field of color displays, back light, UC lasers, photonics, and biomedicine.

     

Photoluminescence of Eu-doped triple phosphate Ca8MgR(PO4)7 (R=La, Gd, Y)

Eu³⁺-doped triple phosphate Ca₈MgR(PO₄)₇ (R=La, Gd, Y) was synthesized by the general high-temperature solid-state reaction. Excitation and emission spectra as well as luminescence decay were used to characterize the phosphors. Photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra showed that the phosphor could be efficiently excited by UV-vis light from 260 to 450 nm to give bright red emission assigned to the transition (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) at 612 nm. The richness of the red color has been verified by determining their color coordinates (X, Y) from the CIE standard.     

Confining Excitation Energy in Er3+‐Sensitized Upconversion Nanocrystals through Tm3+‐Mediated Transient Energy Trapping

A new class of lanthanide‐doped upconversion nanoparticles are presented that are without Yb³⁺ or Nd³⁺ sensitizers in the host lattice. In erbium‐enriched core–shell NaErF₄:Tm (0.5 mol %)@NaYF₄ nanoparticles, a high degree of energy migration between Er³⁺ ions occurs to suppress the effect of concentration quenching upon surface coating. Unlike the conventional Yb³⁺‐Er³⁺ system, the Er³⁺ ion can serve as both the sensitizer and activator to enable an effective upconversion process. Importantly, an appropriate doping of Tm³⁺ has been demonstrated to further enhance upconversion luminescence through energy trapping. This endows the resultant nanoparticles with bright red (about 700‐fold enhancement) and near‐infrared luminescence that is achievable under multiple excitation wavelengths. This is a fundamental new pathway to mitigate the concentration quenching effect, thus offering a convenient method for red‐emitting upconversion nanoprobes for biological applications.     

Upconversion Luminescence through Cooperative and Energy-Transfer Mechanisms in Yb3+-Metal-Organic Frameworks

Lanthanide-doped metal–organic frameworks (Ln-MOFs) have versatile luminescence properties, however it is challenging to achieve lanthanide-based upconversion luminescence in these materials. Here, 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic acid (BTC) and trivalent Yb³⁺ ions were used to generate crystalline Yb-BTC MOF 1D-microrods with upconversion luminescence under near infrared excitation via cooperative luminescence. Subsequently, the Yb-BTC MOFs were doped with a variety of different lanthanides to evaluate the potential for Yb³⁺-based upconversion and energy transfer. Yb-BTC MOFs doped with Er³⁺, Ho³⁺, Tb³⁺, and Eu³⁺ ions exhibit both the cooperative luminescence from Yb³⁺ and the characteristic emission bands of these ions under 980 nm irradiation. In contrast, only the 497 nm upconversion emission band from Yb³⁺ is observed in the MOFs doped with Tm³⁺, Pr³⁺, Sm³⁺, and Dy³⁺. The effects of different dopants on the efficiency of cooperative luminescence were established and will provide guidance for the exploitation of Ln-MOFs exhibiting upconversion.     

Lumineszenz und sensibilisierte Emission der dreiwertigen Seltenen Erden in Sr3La2W2O12

By activation of the new host lattice Sr₃La₂W₂O₁₂ with the trivalent rare earth ions Nd, Eu, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb an intense emission in the visible and/or infrared region is obtained. Energy transfer from Er³⁺ to Tm³⁺ and Nd³⁺ to Yb³⁺ has been found to occur. The excitation, emission, and diffuse reflectance spectra are analyzed for Sr₃La₂W₂O₁₂: Ln³⁺ (Ln = Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb).     

Preparations,Structures and Luminescence Properties of Penta‐rare‐earth Incorporated Tetravacant Dawson Selenotungstates and Their Ho3+/Tm3+ Co‐doped Derivatives

A family of penta‐rare‐earth incorporated tetravacant Dawson selenotungstates [H₂N(CH₃)₂]₁₀H₃[SeO₄RE₅(H₂O)₇(Se₂W₁₄O₅₂)₂] ? 40H₂O [RE=Ho³⁺ ( 1 ), Er³⁺ ( 2 ), Tm³⁺ ( 3 ), Tb³⁺ ( 4 )] were synthesized. It should be noted that a penta‐RE [SeO₄RE₅(H₂O)₇]¹¹⁺ central core connecting two tetra‐vacant Dawson‐type [Se₂W₁₄O₅₂]^12? subunits generates a dimeric assembly of [SeO₄RE₅ (H₂O)₇(Se₂W₁₄O₅₂)₂]^13? in the structures of 1 – 4 . Meanwhile, a class of Ho³⁺/Tm³⁺ co‐doped derivatives based on 1 with a Ho³⁺/Tm³⁺ molar ratio of 0.75:0.25–0.25:0.75 were also prepared and characterized by energy‐dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analyses. Moreover, their luminescence properties were systematically investigated, which indicate that Tm³⁺ ions can sensitize the emission of Ho³⁺ ions in the visible region and prolong the fluorescence lifetime of Ho³⁺ ions to some extent. Energy transfer from Tm³⁺ ions to Ho³⁺ ions was probed by time‐resolved emission spectroscopy (TRES), and the CIE 1931 diagram has been applied to evaluate all possible luminescence colors.     

Er3+-Tm3+-Yb3+ tri-doped CaMoO4 upconverting phosphors in optical devices applications

The structural and optical properties of the Er³⁺-Tm³⁺-Yb³⁺codoped CaMoO₄ phosphors prepared by chemical route have been explored. The crystalline structures of the prepared phosphors have been investigated with the help of X-ray diffraction analysis. The presence of different vibrational modes and absorption bands arising due to the transitions from the ground state to different excited states of rare earth ions have been identified using the Raman and UV-VIS-NIR absorption spectra of the developed phosphor, respectively. The concentration quenching effect on the luminescence property of the prepared materials has been explained in detail. The upconversion luminescence property of the Er³⁺-Tm³⁺-Yb³⁺codoped CaMoO₄ phosphor annealed at different temperatures under 980 nm and 808 nm excitations have been reported. The energy transfer Er³⁺ → Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺ → Er³⁺ and Tm³⁺ has been found to be responsible for efficient UC emission. The dipole-dipole interaction is observed to be responsible for the concentration quenching of the luminescence intensity. The effect of annealing temperature on the upconversion luminescence property has been explained in detail. The results suggest that the developed tri-doped phosphor may be suitable in making the efficient NIR to visible upconverter and lighting based optical devices.     

Dual-mode luminescence of Er3+/Yb 3+ codoped LnP0.5V0.5O4 (Ln=Y,Gd, La) for highly sensitive optical nanothermometry

The luminescence properties of 2%Er³⁺/15%Yb³⁺ doped LnP_0.5V_0.5O₄ (LnPVO₄) (Ln = Y, Gd, La) phosphors, synthesized via the traditional citric-assisted Sol gel method, are studied under light excitations of 980 nm and 325 nm to generate the ²H_11/2/⁴S_3/2–⁴I_15/2 transitions via up- and downshifting mechanisms, respectively. The phase purity of the samples was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We present herein a comparative study of the spectral and temperature sensing properties of LnPVO₄: Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ (Ln = Y, Gd, La) phosphors. The crystal field effects on the up-shifting luminescence and on the thermometric parameters are investigated by the substitution of Er³⁺ ions on Y³⁺, Gd³⁺ or La³⁺ sites in the YPVO₄, GdPVO₄ and LaPVO₄ hosts respectively. Fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique was used to study the temperature sensing behavior of the phosphors. This study showed that downshifting emission gives the highest thermal sensitivities and the greatest thermal resolution compared to downshifting emission. These outcomes indicate that these materials are preferred for use in the luminescence temperature sensing in a down-conversion process to provide the greatest performance.