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Effect of multiphase Nb2O5 on morphology and luminescence outcomes of Er3+-doped SiO2 nanopowder

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Abstract

The present work embodies the effect of Nb2O5 on morphology and luminescence outcomes of Er3+-doped SiO2. Various modified structural parameters were evaluated for prepared samples due to gradual changes in the annealing temperature 300–900 °C range. The crystalline Er3+: SiO2/Nb2O5 powder was synthesized by a reliable sol–gel process with a 20–23 nm nanoparticle range. Proper annealing allowed to avoid the existence of various defects, chemical reactions, and impurity phases; consequently, the structural and optical properties have improved significantly in all prepared samples. In absorption spectra, the excitonic edge has been shifted toward the lower wavelength owing to the quantum size effect. A significant luminescence in the visible region is reported for Er3+: SiO2/Nb2O5 nanopowder at 260 nm. The International de I’Eclairage chromaticity graphs were drawn nearly in the white region, and full width half maxima was estimated at ~ 134 nm for most prominent IR signals. The observed strong luminescence has been correlated to the lifetime decay constant also. These characteristics enforced the utilization of prepared nanopowder in white light-emitting diodes and in solid-state display devices. More energetic PL emission spectra were obtained in long infrared (IR) regions at 525 nm excitation. This drastic change in optical behavior is noticed in Er3+: SiO2/Nb2O5 sample owing to energy transfer between Nb2O5 nanocrystals and Er3+ doped in amorphous silica where Nb2O5 acts as an efficient sensitizer. The reported Er3+: SiO2/Nb2O5 nanopowder can be implanted not only in the -S, -L, but also in the -C band of optical communication.

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“The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request”.

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  1. Department of Physics, Material Science Lab, Ch. Devi Lal University, Sirsa, 125055, Haryana, India

    Neelam Rani, Bindiya Goswami & Rachna Ahlawat

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“All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation and data collection and analysis were performed by NR, BG, and RA. The first draft of the manuscript was written by NR, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”

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Rani, N., Goswami, B. & Ahlawat, R. Effect of multiphase Nb2O5 on morphology and luminescence outcomes of Er3+-doped SiO2 nanopowder. J Mater Sci: Mater Electron 33, 23729–23748 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10854-022-09132-6

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