Large electrostrictive effect and bright upconversion luminescence in Er-modified 0.92(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–0.08(Ba0.90Ca0.10)(Ti0.92Sn0.08)O3 lead-free ceramics

In this study, a new lead-free luminescent electrostrictive material has been obtained by introducing trivalent Er3+ as the activator into 0.92(Bi0.5Na0.5)TiO3–0.08(Ba0.90Ca0.10)(Ti0.92Sn0.08)O3 (BNT–0.08BCST). A high, purely electrostrictive effect (the electrostrictive coefficient Q33 reaches up to 0.028 m4/C2) with exceptionally good fatigue resistance (up to 106 cycles) and thermostability (25–140 °C) is obtained in 0.2 mol%Er-modified BNT–0.08BCST ceramics. Besides the excellent electrostrictive properties, Er3+-modified BNT–0.08BCST samples exhibit a strong green-red upconversion emission, and the emission intensities are strongly dependent on the doping concentration, which reaches the optimal value as the doping concentration is 0.4 mol%. These results suggest that this kind of material may have potential application as a multifunctional device by integrating its excellent upconversion luminescence and electrostrictive properties.