Up-conversion luminescence properties and energy transfer of Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped BaLa2ZnO5

•Up-conversion phosphors BaLa2ZnO5 co-doped with Tm3+/Yb3+ were synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction method.•The crystal structure of BaLa2ZnO5 and the changes of cell parameters and volume of BaLa2ZnO5 after doping Tm3+ and Yb3+ have been discussed.•Up-conversion luminescence properties and energy transfer between Tm3+ and Yb3+ in BaLa2ZnO5 have been discussed in detail.

Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped BaLa2ZnO5 up-conversion (UC) phosphors were successfully synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that synthesized phosphor co-doped with 0.75% Tm/10% Yb has the optimum pure phase of BaLa2ZnO5 among different co-doping concentrations. The structure of BaLa2ZnO5:0.75% Tm/10% Yb phosphor was refined by the Rietveld method and results show the decreased unit cell parameters and cell volume after doping Tm3+/Yb3+, indicating that Tm3+/Yb3+ have successfully replaced La3+. Under excitation at 980 nm, Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped BaLa2ZnO5 phosphors present bright blue emission near 478 nm generated by the 1G4→3H6 transition and weak red emissions around 653 nm and 692 nm generated by the 1G4→3F4 and 3F3→3H6 transitions of Tm3+, respectively. The UC luminescence properties of BaLa2ZnO5 phosphors co-doped with different Tm3+/Yb3+ concentrations were investigated, and the related UC mechanisms of Tm3+/Yb3+ co-doped BaLa2ZnO5 depending on pump power were studied in detail.

Graphical abstractUp-conversion luminescence of BaLa2ZnO5:Tm3+/Yb3+ and its crystal structure and up-conversion mechanisms.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide