RESUMEN
This paper reports on the preparation of Er3+/Yb3+/Tm3+, Er3+/Yb3+/Nd3+, and Er3+/Tm3+/Nd3+ triply doped and Er3+-doped SiO2-Ta2O5 glass ceramic nanocomposites and active planar waveguides by the sol-gel process using the dip-coating technique as deposition method. The investigation of their structural, morphological, and luminescent properties using XRD, AFM, and photoluminescence analysis, are reported here. The XRD results showed the presence of L-Ta2O5 nanocrystals dispersed in the SiO2-based amorphous host for all the nanocomposites and films. The rare earth ion (RE3+) doping concentration affected both the crystallinity, and the crystallite sizes of the Ta2O5 dispersed into SiO2-Ta2O5 nanocomposites and waveguides. AFM characterization revealed crack free and smooth surface roughness and differences in viscoelasticity on the Er3+-doped SiO2-Ta2O5 films surface, which allows the identification of Ta2O5 nanocrystals on the SiO2 amorphous host. The Er3+ doped and triply doped SiO2-Ta2O5 nanocomposites displayed broad- and super broadband NIR emissions with a FWHM up to 173 nm achieved in the telecom wavelengths. The lifetime of the 4I13/2 emitting level of the Er3+-doped SiO2-Ta2O5 waveguides is strongly dependent on Er3+ concentration and an emission quenching was negligible up to 0.81 mol%. The structural and luminescent investigations indicated that RE3+-doped SiO2-Ta2O5 glass ceramics are promising candidates for photonic applications in optical devices operating in wide wavelengths at the telecom bands.
RESUMEN
Glass and glass-ceramics containing nanocrystals of Bi2Te4O11 cubic phase co-doped with Er3+ and Yb3+ were prepared by heat treatment of the precursor tellurite glass and investigated for optical applications. Lanthanide doped tellurite glass and glass-ceramics have been extensively investigated because of their optical and photoluminescence performance for technological photonic applications. Er3+ and Er3+/Yb3+ doped TeO2-GeO2-K2O-Bi2O3 tellurite glass compositions were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching method. Photoluminescence results showed the important role played by Yb3+ ions when co-doping with Er3+ ions in comparison with the Er3+ single-doped glass. Due to their larger absorption cross-section, Yb3+ species significantly absorbs 980 nm photons and effectively transfers them to Er3+ ions via a set of mechanisms including ground-state absorption (GSA), excited-state absorption (ESA), and energy transfer upconversion (ETU). Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped sample was chosen for the synthesis of transparent glass-ceramics by controlled heat treatment above Tg for 5 to 120 min. X-ray diffraction patterns, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images, and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) from Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped glass-ceramic samples were used to verify the nanocrystal precipitation, crystalline phase, and chemical nature. The structural change resulting from the crystallization of Bi2Te4O11 nanocrystals was evaluated by the Raman shift of the bands between 300-500 cm-1, which are assigned to the formation of Bi-O-Te linkages and the reduction of [TeO3] depolymerized units. The effects of HT time on the glass-ceramic's optical and upconversion photoluminescence properties were studied in the visible range under excitation at 980 nm in terms of the energy transfer mechanisms from Yb3+ to Er3+. Results indicate that Er3+/Yb3+ co-doped tellurite glass and glass-ceramics are potential candidates for photonic applications in lighting, energy conversion, and luminescent solar cell concentrators.
RESUMEN
This work used L-tartaric acid as a model molecule to evaluate how the use of inert and oxidizing atmospheres during pyrolysis affected the physical and optical properties of the resulting carbon dots (CDs). Pyrolysis revealed to be a simple procedure that afforded CDs in a single step, dismissed the addition of organic solvents, and involved only one extraction stage that employed water. By X-ray diffraction a dependency between the structure of the CDs and the atmosphere (oxidizing or inert) used during the pyrolysis was found. Potentiometric titration demonstrated that the CDs were largely soluble in water; it also aided characterization of the various groups that contained sp(3) -hybridized carbon atoms on the surface of the dots. Raman spectroscopy suggested that different amounts of sp(2)- and sp(3)-hybridized carbon atoms emerged on the CDs depending on the pyrolysis atmosphere. In conclusion, the pyrolysis atmosphere influenced the physical properties, such as the composition and the final structure.