| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25849 | Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology A: Chemistry | 2015 | 6 Pages |
•The spectra of Ce3+ in YAG lies in the strongest region of solar spectrum.•The NIR emission intensity of Nd3+ is much stronger than Yb3+ and has no CTS.•The two-pathway ET mechanism dominates the DC process.•YAG:0.01Ce3+, xNd3+ show high ETE and QE due to the ET mechanism.•YAG:0.01Ce3+, xNd3+ has potential application in c-Si solar cells.
Near-infrared (NIR) quantum cutting involving the down-conversion of an absorbed visible photon to emission of two NIR photons was demonstrated in Y3Al5O12 (YAG):0.01Ce3+, xNd3+ (x = 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, 15 mol%) samples. The photoluminescence properties of samples in visible and NIR regions were investigated to verify the energy transfer (ET) from Ce3+ to Nd3+. Results indicated that Nd3+ emissions located at 1064 nm was efficiently enhanced with Nd3+ concentration increasing because of ET from Ce3+. Based on these results, a possible two-pathway ET mechanism from Ce3+ to Nd3+ was presented. The decay lifetimes of YAG:0.01Ce3+, xNd3+ were estimated further to confirm the ET from Ce3+ to Nd3+. Simultaneously, the energy transfer efficiency (ETE) and quantum efficiency (QE) of YAG:0.01Ce3+, xNd3+ samples have been calculated as high as 79.43% and 160.7%, respectively. On the basis of maximum ETE and QE, the conclusion was drawn that the optimum Nd3+ concentration is 10 mol% and distance between Y3+ ions was 0.3659 nm without concentration quenching.
