Enhanced luminescence properties of Nd3+ doped boro-tellurite glasses via silver additive

The improvement in the luminescence intensity of the rare earth doped glasses is a challenging issue. In this work, the effect of the silver nanoparticles on luminescence spectrum of Nd3+ doped boro-tellurite glasses is studied. The glasses are prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique and thermal processing to reduce the silver ions and nucleate metallic particles. The transmission electron microscopy is used to probe the formation and growth of the silver nanoparticles with an average size of about 18 nm after 12 h of continuous heat-treatments. The visible upconversion emissions are enhanced up to 3 times after 4 h of heat-treatment, applying an excitation wavelength at 800 nm. A 2.3-fold enhancement is also observed in near-infrared emission (centered at 1.06 μm). The mechanisms and interactions between metal species and rare earth ions are discussed.