Phase-separation induced homogeneous nucleation and growth of Cs3LaCl6 nanoparticles in chalcohalide glass

• A novel transparent glass ceramic containing Cs3LaCl6 nanocrystals was fabricated.
• Crystallization behaviors of Cs3LaCl6 nanophase are systematically investigated.
• The up-/down-conversion emissions are greatly intensified after crystallization.

The phase-separation induced nucleation and growth of Cs3LaCl6 nanocrystals has been studied in the GeS2-Ga2S3-La2S3-LaCl3-CsCl system for the first time. Remarkably, the precipitated chloride nanocrystals are spherical and distributed homogeneously in the glass matrix. Benefiting from the uniform structure, high transparency of the glass ceramic is maintained after heat treatment by reducing adverse optical scattering. As revealed by the absorption spectra and Judd–Ofelt calculations, the doped active rare earth ions are partially partitioned into the low-phonon-energy Cs3LaCl6 nanocrystals, resulting in the decrease of the non-radiative transition probabilities and therefore intensified photoluminescence emission of Nd3+ and up-conversion one of Er3+.

The phase-separation induced nucleation and growth of Cs3LaCl6 nanocrystals has been studied for the first time. It is experimentally evidenced that the doped active rare earth ions are incorporated into the Cs3LaCl6 nanocrystals, resulting in the intensified down- and up-conversion emissions.Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide