Facile fabrication and upconversion luminescence enhancement of LaF3:Yb3+/Ln3+@SiO2 (Ln=Er, Tm) nanostructures decorated with Ag nanoparticles

• Published in: Nanotechnology 2014-01, Vol.25 (4), p.045603-045603
• Main Authors: He, Enjie, Zheng, Hairong, Dong, Jun, Gao, Wei, Han, Qingyan, Li, Junna, Hui, Le, Lu, Ying, Tian, Huani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ag nanoparticles; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Diagnostic Imaging; enhancement; Erbium - chemistry; Exact sciences and technology; Finite Element Analysis; Fullerenes and related materials; Lanthanum - chemistry; Low-dimensional structures (superlattices, quantum well structures, multilayers): structure, and nonelectronic properties; Luminescence; Materials science; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotechnology - methods; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures; Photoelectron Spectroscopy; Physics; Silanes - chemistry; Silicon Dioxide - chemistry; Silver - chemistry; Solar Energy; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared; Surface Plasmon Resonance; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thulium - chemistry; upconversion; Visible and ultraviolet spectra; X-Ray Diffraction
• ISSN: 0957-4484; 1361-6528
• DOI: 10.1088/0957-4484/25/4/045603

A novel hybrid nanostructure, that is a Ag nanoparticle decorated LaF3:Yb3+/Ln3+@SiO2 nanosphere (Ln=Er, Tm), was constructed by a facile strategy, and characterized by XRD, TEM, FTIR, XPS and UV-vis-NIR absorption. Obvious spectral broadening and red-shift on the surface plasmon resonance were obtained by adjusting the size and configuration of Ag nanoparticles. Effective upconversion luminescence enhancements for Er3+ and Tm3+ containing samples were obtained. It is suggested that the luminescence enhancement results from both the excitation and emission processes, and the configuration of the studied hybrid nanostructure is an efficient system to enhance the luminescence emission of rare earth doped nanomaterials. It is believed that the enhancement from the hybrid nanostructure will find great potential in the development of photovoltaic solar cells.