| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1607413 | Journal of Alloys and Compounds | 2016 | 7 Pages |
•We obtained transparent RE doped glass-ceramics with cubic KYF4 nanocrystals.•Luminescent properties of Ce3+, Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions were studied.•The energy transfer mechanisms from Ce3+ to Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions were analyzed.•The emitted color was tuned with the content of Eu3+ and the excitation wavelength.•This material is a promising candidate for applications in UV-converting white LEDs.
Transparent RE doped and co-doped nano-glass-ceramics (RE = Ce3+, Tb3+, Eu3+) containing cubic KYF4 nanocrystals have been obtained by thermal treatment of precursor sol–gel derived glasses, and their luminescence properties were studied by emission and excitation spectra, supplemented with time-resolved measurements. For Ce3+–Tb3+–Eu3+ triply-doped nano-glass-ceramics with an adequate concentration of RE ions, white light generation was observed under ultraviolet excitation, via efficient energy transfer processes. The energy transfer mechanisms from Ce3+ to Tb3+ and Eu3+ ions were analyzed in terms of their corresponding energy level diagrams. The emitted color can be tuned by varying the content of Eu3+ ions and/or the excitation wavelength. These results suggest that this single-phased material might be a promising candidate for applications in UV-converting white LEDs.
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