Optimizing optical thermometry with tri-doped Ba2GdV3O11 phosphors: Ratiometric and fluorescence lifetime analysis.

Optical sensor technology has undergone a transformative evolution with the advent of fluorescence ratio techniques (FIR) and fluorescence lifetime (FL) strategies, revolutionizing precision, performance, and reliability. This study delves into the synthesis of Ba2GdV3O11 phosphors doped with Ho3+/Nd3+, Er3+, and Yb3+, employing the sol-gel method for upconverting material fabrication. A thorough investigation into the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the synthesized phosphors is conducted. Excitation at 980 nm unveils upconversion (UC) emissions across green and red spectra. The intensities of the observed emission bands for Ho3+, Nd3+, and Er3+ demonstrate significant sensitivity to fluctuations in temperature. Temperature sensing relies on the 4S3/2 and 2H11/2 upconversion emissions bands, in addition to the emission lifetimes at 4S3/2. Enhanced thermal sensitivity values are attained, reaching up to 1.03 % K-1 and 1.07 % K-1 using the FIR strategy, and up to 0.146 % K-1 and 0.47 % K-1 with the FL strategy for Ho3+/Er3+/Yb3+ and Nd3+/Er3+/Yb3+ tri-doped Ba2GdV3O11 phosphors, respectively. Furthermore, the studied phosphors exhibit remarkable precision in detecting minute temperature changes (0.3 K), positioning them as promising candidates for precise temperature sensing. This study pioneers innovative methodologies to advance optical thermometry techniques, offering promising prospects for scientific and industrial applications reliant on precise optical temperature sensing.

Advanced temperature sensing with Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped Ba2GdV3O11 phosphors through upconversion luminescence.

Optical thermometry is a non-contact temperature sensing technique with widespread applications. It offers precise measurements without physical contact, making it ideal for situations where contact-based methods are impractical. However, improving the accuracy of optical thermometry remains an ongoing challenge. Herein, enhancing the thermometric properties of luminescent thermometers through novel materials or strategies is crucial for developing more precise sensors. Hence, the present study focuses on the application of four-mode luminescence thermometric techniques in sol-gel synthesized Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped Ba2GdV3O11 phosphors for optical temperature sensing in the temperature range of 298-573 K. The upconversion (UC) luminescence is achieved under excitations of 980 nm or 1550 nm, resulting in bright yellow-green emission in the visible spectral range. Temperature sensing is realized by exploiting the UC emissions of 4S3/2, 2H11/2 and 4F7/2 bands, which represent intensity ratios of thermally coupled levels (TCELs) and non-thermally coupled levels (NTCELs) of Er3+/Yb3+, along with the emission lifetimes at 4S3/2. The relative sensitivity (Sr) values for TCELs exhibit a gradual decrease with rising temperature, reaching a maximum of 1.1% K-1 for 980 nm excitation and 0.86% K-1 for 1550 nm excitation at 298 K. Conversely, for NTCELs, the highest Sr value observed is 0.9% K-1 at 298 K for 1550 nm excitation. Moreover, the emission lifetimes at 4S3/2 yield notably high Sr values of up to 5.0% µs K-1 (at 425 K). Furthermore, the studied phosphors have a sub-degree thermal resolution, making them excellent materials for accurate temperature sensing. Overall, this study provides a promising new direction for the development of more precise and reliable optical thermometry techniques, which could have important implications for a range of scientific and industrial optical temperature sensing applications.

Glass-based LED system for indoor horticulture: enhanced plant growth through Sm3+ and Tm3+ co-doped luminescent glasses.

This study addresses the challenges of sustainable and efficient agricultural practices in the face of climate change and the destruction of agricultural lands by presenting the development of a novel plant growth LED based on Sm3+ and Tm3+ co-doped luminescent glasses with color-converting properties that emit blue and red light, resulting in an increased rate of photosynthesis and density of photosynthetically active radiation reaching the harvesting pigments. The developed LED exhibits photoluminescence (PL) peak positions ranging from 454 to 648 nm, with a spectral coverage of 50% and 39% of the absorption regions of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b, respectively, resulting in an impressive 56% photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY). Furthermore, the developed plant growth LED demonstrates robust performance, remaining unaffected by temperature cycles and extended operation periods. Using Romaine lettuce cultivated under identical conditions, a comparative study between the developed LED and commercially available plant growth LED is conducted, with the designed LED showing significant improvements in plant growth characteristics, including increased plant height, weight, number of leaves, and enhanced levels of chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoid content, while the root diameter is reduced, and the shoot-to-root ratio is diminished in comparison to the commercially available plant growth LED. The paper also compares the performance of Sm3+ and Tm3+ co-doped luminescent glass-based plant growth LED with other reported plant growth LED designs using different luminescent materials, exploring the impact of PLQY, PL position, and plant growing conditions. The results suggest that the developed LED system offers a more efficient and sustainable way of lighting for indoor horticulture and has significant implications for meeting the increasing food demands of the growing world population.

The coupling of blue emitting carbon dots with Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped luminescent glasses for utilization in white light emitting diodes.

Lanthanide-doped luminescent glasses have attracted tremendous attention in modern optoelectronic applications, especially for solid-state white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs). Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped luminescent glasses are well-known to emit intense yellowish-orange light resulting from the energy transfer from green-emitting sensitizer Tb3+ ions to red-emitting activator Eu3+ ions. Obtaining highly efficient blue light from lanthanide ions remains a challenge due to their weak down-converted emission. In this work, we attempt to use the unique characteristics of blue-emitting carbon dots (BCDs), i.e., a broad emission spectrum, ease of synthesis, and high stability, to compensate for this blue light deficiency problem. Correspondingly, a new strategy is proposed by coupling BCDs with Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped glasses for their potential utilization in WLEDs. Hence, Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped glasses are prepared in different thicknesses, i.e., 0.8, 1, and 1.5 mm, via the conventional melt-quenching method and subsequently spin-coated with BCDs to achieve adjustable photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) values. Ultimately, a proof-of-concept WLED is prepared using a 0.8 mm thick BCD-coated Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped luminescent glass exhibiting outstanding luminescence performance with a CRI value of 92, a CCT of 4683 K, color coordinates of (x = 0.3299, y = 0.3421), a satisfying PLQY value of 55.58%, and a corresponding LER value of 316 lm W-1 under the excitation of a 375 nm UV LED. BCD-coated Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped luminescent glasses show excellent stability against photobleaching, temperature variations, and humidity. The findings of this work indicate that the coupling of BCDs with Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped luminescent glasses holds great potential as a substitute for traditional solid-state lighting sources.

Color tunable emission from Eu3+ and Tm3+ co-doped CsPbBr3 quantum dot glass nanocomposites.

Cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) quantum dots (QDs) have shown great potential in the field of luminescent materials owing to their superior optical and electrical properties. However, instability and lack of multicolor emissions resulting from the intrinsic nature of CsPbBr3 QDs are still the major challenge for their commercialization. Herein, Eu3+ and Tm3+ co-doped CsPbBr3 QD glass nanocomposites (GNCs) are successfully synthesized via traditional melt-quenching followed by a heat-treatment route to obtain tunable emission in a durable host material. Tm3+ ions are doped to blue-shift the main emission peak of CsPbBr3 QDs, while Eu3+ ions are incorporated to compensate for the red deficiency. Accordingly, a tunable color emission spanning the entire visible spectrum is achieved from GNCs with a fixed composition. The incorporation of Eu3+ and Tm3+ ions promotes the crystallization of CsPbBr3 QDs in the glass host resulting in ∼100% photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) using a dilution method. The selected glass host has also been proven to effectively protect CsPbBr3 QDs against chemical, thermal and photo degradation. Interestingly, the selected Eu3+/Tm3+ co-doped CsPbBr3 QD GNC shows warm-white light with a low color temperature of 3692 K without utilizing any commercial phosphors. This indicates that the produced GNCs have the potential to be used as light convertor materials in multi-color LED or warm white LED applications due to their robust stability and extremely pure and tunable emission colors.

The synergistic effect of Er3+ and Ho3+ on temporal color tuning of upconversion emission in a glass host via a facile excitation modulation technique for anti-counterfeiting applications.

Lanthanide-doped upconversion luminescent materials are highly promising for diverse applications, e.g., solid-state lighting, volumetric displays, and anti-counterfeiting, owing to their unique optical feature of color-tunable emission under near-infrared excitation. Hence, in this study, emission color tuning of Er3+/Ho3+ ions in a fixed glass host is investigated via a facile excitation modulation technique. The upconversion emission color from green to yellowish is tuned successfully by regulating the frequency of the irradiation source. The population and depopulation rates of related transitions are investigated through time-resolved photoluminescence and Judd-Ofelt analysis in order to elucidate the proposed mechanism of color tuning. Upconversion quantum yield values are measured in the range of 0.12 to 0.17% for a better comparison of the emission properties. Additionally, thermal, and structural properties are investigated to reveal the favorable properties of the selected tellurite glass host. Ultimately, several patterns are designed and constructed by a screen-printing technique using powdered glass to demonstrate its suitability as a multicolor imaging method for anti-counterfeiting applications. The temporal color tuning of upconversion emission via a facile excitation modulation technique in a glass host clearly indicates that the proposed Er3+/Ho3+ co-doped glasses can be potentially applied in the state-of-the-art technologies, especially for anticounterfeiting purposes.