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Sol–gel preparation and white up-conversion luminescence in rare-earth doped PbF2 nanocrystals dissolved in silica glass

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Abstract

89.5(SiO2)10(PbF2)0.5(REF3) silicate glasses have been prepared using room temperature sol–gel processing of Si(OCH2CH3)4, Pb(CH3COO)2·3H2O, RE(CH3COO)3·nH2O and trifluoroacetic acid as a fluorinating agent, where RE stands for rare-earth ions, such as Yb3+, Er3+, Ho3+, Tm3+, or combinations of those ions. On heat treatment of these glasses at about 300–400 °C, the rare-earth doped spherical PbF2 nanocrystals precipitate within SiO2 glass matrix providing transparent nano-structured glass–ceramics, while the diameter of the nanocrystals can be set in the range from 5 to 25 nm by varying time and temperature of the heat treatment. The structural and photoluminescence studies confirm the incorporation of rare-earth ions into the PbF2 nanocrystals and white and tuneable colour up-conversion luminescence has been detected in case of Yb3+-Er3+-Tm3+ and Yb3+-Ho3+-Tm3+ co-doped nanocrystals by varying dopant ratio and pump power.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Gobierno Autónomo de Canarias (PI042005/039), Consejería de Industria, Comercio y Nuevas Tecnologías (IDT-TF-07/077) and Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología of Spain Government (FIS 2006-02980) for financial support. Methusalem Foundation of Flemish Government and Vlaamse Wetenschapelijke Onderzoeks projects are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Física Básica, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    J. del-Castillo & A. C. Yanes

  2. Departamento de Física Fundamental, Experimental, Electrónica y Sistemas, Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain

    J. Méndez-Ramos & V. D. Rodríguez

  3. Institute for Nanoscale Physics and Chemistry (INPAC), Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium

    V. K. Tikhomirov & V. V. Moshchalkov

Authors
  1. J. del-Castillo
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  2. A. C. Yanes
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  3. J. Méndez-Ramos
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  4. V. K. Tikhomirov
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  5. V. V. Moshchalkov
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  6. V. D. Rodríguez
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Correspondence to J. del-Castillo.

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del-Castillo, J., Yanes, A.C., Méndez-Ramos, J. et al. Sol–gel preparation and white up-conversion luminescence in rare-earth doped PbF2 nanocrystals dissolved in silica glass. J Sol-Gel Sci Technol 53, 509–514 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-009-2124-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10971-009-2124-x

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