Spectroscopic properties Eu3+ doped and Tm3+/Yb3+ codoped oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing Ba2GdF7 nanocrystals

► Transparent rare earth ions doped oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing Ba2GdF7 nanocrystals were prepared and verified by XRD and TEM. ► The photoluminescence emission intensity of Eu3+ were greatly enhanced after heat treatment and emission lines from the excited state 5D0,1,2,3 to the ground state 7FJ(J = 0,1,2,3,4) were simultaneously appeared, which covered the whole visible spectral region with comparable intensity and resulted in a white light emission. ► For the Tm3+/Yb3+ codoped glass ceramic, unusual ultraviolet upconversion emissions from 6PJ → 8S7/2 transition of Gd3+ at 308 nm and 1D2 → 3H6, 1D2 → 3F4, 1G4 → 3H6 and 1G4 → 3F4 transitions of Tm3+ at 362 nm, 451 nm and 478 nm were observed under 980 nm excitation, respectively. And the upconversion mechanism of Tm3+ ion was also analyzed.