| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1493726 | Optical Materials | 2015 | 5 Pages |
•Homogeneous nanoparticles (∼10 nm) of TiO2:Yb and TiO2:Yb, Nd have been obtained.•The Yb3+ and Nd3+ ions luminescence is observed when excited above the TiO2 band gap.•The excitation energy transfer between Nd3+ and Yb3+ in TiO2 is observed.•The temperature dependences of these excitation ways were determined from 4.5 K to 350 K.
This paper presents structural and luminescent properties of Yb doped and Yb–Nd double doped TiO2 nanopowders obtained by sol–gel method. Both, the morphology SEM-TE/TEM and structural XRD studies have revealed the presence of monodisperse nanoparticles with size of ∼10 nm. The obtained materials demonstrate the presence of Yb3+ and Nd3+ ions being found in luminescence when excited above the TiO2 band gap. Furthermore, the excitation energy transfer between Nd3+ and Yb3+ ions is observed. The temperature dependences of different excitation ways (via TiO2 host and via the energy transfer from Nd3+ to Yb3+) were established in the range from 4.5 K to 350 K. It was found that the TiO2:Yb(1.7%) Nd(0.2–2%) anatase nanopowders show significantly stronger luminescence than that of previously studied TiO2:Yb(1.7%) anatase/rutile material.
