Enhanced emissions in Tb3+-doped oxyfluoride scintillating glass ceramics containing KLu2F7 nano-crystals

KLu2F7: Tb3+ oxyfluoride glass ceramics (GC) were successfully manufactured via traditional melt-quenching route with further heat-treatment. Their micro-structural and optical properties were systemically investigated by XRD, TEM, HRTEM techniques, transmittance spectra, excitation spectra, emission spectra, luminescence lifetime measurements and X-ray excited luminescence (XEL). Both photoluminescence and XEL of KLu2F7 GC doped with Tb3+ are highly enhanced after further heat-treatment resulting from the partition of Tb3+ ions into the KLu2F7 crystalline lattice with low phonon energy. Our investigation suggests that such Tb3+-doped transparent KLu2F7 glass ceramics may present potential application in X-ray scintillator for slow event detection.