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Formation of Luminescent Rare Earth Fluoride Nanoparticles in Silicate Matrices

Heike Kaetker 1Ulrich H. Kynast 1Marina M. Lezhnina 1,2

1. University of Applied Sciences Muenster, FB1, Applied Materials Sciences (FHMS), Stegerwaldstrasse 39, Steinfurt 48565, Germany
2. Mari State Technical University, Institute of Physics (MSTUYO), Lenin-pl. 3, Yoshkar-Ola 424 000, Russian Federation

Abstract

Fluoride coordination provides a beneficial, sometimes crucial chemical environment to optical phenomena generated from rare earth ions. Examples may be found in several luminescence effects. Due to high ionicity and correspondingly low phonon frequencies, access to efficiency can be gained in the NIR emission range and eventually NIR to VIS upconversion. Furthermore, especially in materials based on Eu3+, low lying charge transfer states can be suppressed, as required for e.g. two photon emission (downconversion, quantum cutters).
Hosted by nanoporous silicate matrices, initially, parent fluoride complexes were prepared in the voids of the matrix and subsequently converted into encapsulated nanoscaled fluoride and oxifluoride particles by thermal decomposition. In the resulting host-guest hybrid materials the porous structure of the matrices can be maintained, such that surface coordination effects of the nanoparticles to the matrix and subsequently penetrating water or other volatile chemicals can in suitable rare earth systems be monitored using luminescence spectroscopy, despite encapsulation.
TEM measurements, absorption spectra ranging from VUV to NIR, accompanying luminescent properties and stoichiometric parameters of both, zeolite based materials and sol-gel derived silicas as hosts are elucidated.

 

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Related papers

Presentation: poster at E-MRS Fall Meeting 2003, Symposium F, by Ulrich H. Kynast
See On-line Journal of E-MRS Fall Meeting 2003

Submitted: 2003-06-30 16:59
Revised:   2009-06-08 12:55