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Dynamic manipulation of multimodal emission in Er3+-activated non-core–shell structure for optical thermometry and information security

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Abstract

Regulating luminescent dynamics of lanthanide-based luminescent materials via external stimuli is of great significance in the fields of optical thermometry and high-level anti-counterfeiting. However, it is still a huge challenge to realize multimodal emissions with tunable color outputs from a single activator in simple structures via smart dynamic control of photon transition processes. Herein, we present a mechanistic strategy to achieve multimodal luminescence of Er3+ activators with color-switchable outputs in a non-core–shell host. Under the control of excitation dynamics (λex = 980, 808, 1532, 377 nm), the population among the intermediate energy levels of Er3+ and the interaction between Er3+ and Yb3+ could be precisely modulated through energy transfer and migration processes, leading to the generation of color-tunable multimodal luminescence upon diverse excitation modes (non-steady-state, single-/dual-wavelength steady, thermal activation). Inspired by its special luminescent performance, the as-obtained material exhibits great potential in noncontact thermometry, multimodal anti-counterfeiting, and high-capacity information encryption by performing a series of proof‐of‐concept experiments. Our findings might provide a conceptual model to modulate the luminescent dynamics in a simple-structured system for the generation of color-adjustable multimodal emissions, which is convenient for the development of advanced luminescent materials toward versatile cutting-edge applications.

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摘要

通过外部刺激调控镧系发光材料的发光动力学在光学测温和高级防伪领域具有重要意义。然而，通过对光子跃迁过程的动态调控，在简单结构体系中实现单个激活离子的智能光色输出仍然是一个巨大的挑战。因此，本文提出了一种简单的调控策略，在非核壳体系中实现Er3+离子的多模式发光现象。在不同光源激发模式下（λex=980, 808, 1532, 377 nm），通过控制Er3+离子的中间能级之间的布居以及Er3+与Yb3+之间的相互作用实现能量转移和迁移过程的精准调控，获得不同发光模式下（非稳态、单/双波长稳定、热激活）的多色发光现象。一系列概念验证性实验表明，所制备的材料体系在非接触光学测温、多模式荧光防伪和高容量信息加密等方面显示出巨大的应用潜力。本文的研究提出了一种在简单体系中实现镧系发光智能输出和性能调控的概念模型，为后续的稀土发光调控研究提有益的借鉴，也有利于开发高端先进的稀土发光材料。

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20211280), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51702074) and Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, Nanjing Forestry University. The authors would also like to thank the Advanced Analysis & Testing Center of Nanjing Forestry University for material characterizations.

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  1. College of Science, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, China

    Xuan Liu, Yin-Biao Shi, Xiao-Yan Wang, Ming-Ye Ding & Xiao-Fei Yang

  2. Testing Center, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, 225009, China

    Zi-Xia Lin

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Liu, X., Lin, ZX., Shi, YB. et al. Dynamic manipulation of multimodal emission in Er3+-activated non-core–shell structure for optical thermometry and information security. Rare Met. 43, 1702–1712 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12598-023-02492-w

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