Enhanced blue emission of SnO2 doped phosphate glasses by Gd2O3 co-doping

SnO2 doped strontium phosphate glasses are prepared and their enhanced visible photoluminescence properties are investigated by co-doping Gd2O3. Sn center and Gd3+ are co-excited at 273 nm and show a broad emission band of Sn center at 421 nm and the sharp one of Gd3+ ions at 311 nm. Much enhanced emission from Sn center is observed with the increased Gd2O3 co-doping at the cost of the Gd3+ emission. Excitation spectra show the tremendous expanded integrated excitation cross-section upon SnO2/Gd3+ co-doping, which benefits energy harvesting of light sources, realizing an efficient sensitization effect of Gd3+ on Sn center. XPS demonstrate that the incorporation of Gd2O3 increases the Sn2+/Sn4+ ratio, contributing to the enhanced blue emission of SnO2 doped glasses.