Transparent glass coatings incorporated with upconversion nanocrystals by laser cladding method

•Transparent nanocomposite coatings were successfully synthesized.•Laser cladding method was adopted.•The highly efficient upconversion luminescence can be observed clearly.

To develop β-NaYF4 as bulk luminescence material, transparent glass coatings incorporated with β-NaYF4:20%Yb3+,2%Er3+ nanocrystals were fabricated by laser cladding method for the first time. The composite films on quartz glasses were characterized by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which showed that β-NaYF4 nanocrystals were introduced into the borosilicate glass and formed to glass composites with highly efficient upconversion (UC) luminescence. It is highly promising to achieve the preparation of crystals-glass composites through this novel method.

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