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Effect of pH and Yb3+ doping concentration on the structure and upconversion luminescence properties of GdPO4:Er3+,Yb3+

  • Yanhong Li ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Jiaxing Qi and Jing Ma
Published/Copyright: February 10, 2025
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International Journal of Materials Research
From the journal International Journal of Materials Research Volume 116 Issue 2

Abstract

Upconversion luminescence materials hold significant promise for various applications, including lasers, solar cells, anti-counterfeiting technology, biological labeling, and sensor technology. GdPO4 stands out as a highly promising upconversion host material thanks to its exceptional chemical and thermal stability. While the upconversion luminescence properties of Er3+ and Yb3+ co-doped materials are indeed influenced by the crystal environment of rare earth ions within the matrix, the fundamental understanding of how pH and the high concentration of Yb3+ can ultimately affect these luminescence properties is still lacking. In this paper, we synthesized a series of GdPO4:Er3+, Yb3+ upconversion phosphors by a hydrothermal process followed by heat treatments at 900 °C for 2 h. The results of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy indicate that pH of the initial solution and doping concentration of Yb3+ can indeed affect crystal growth of samples. Spectroscopic studies reveal that the structure, size and morphology can influence the properties of upconversion emission in GdPO4:Er3+, Yb3+ by affecting the local environment of rare earth ions, the surface of sample and the relaxation processes in the samples. The color coordinates calculation illustrates that these implications can ultimately alter the emission color of the samples. This research enhances our comprehension of the role played by the pH of initial solution and the concentration of Yb3+ ions in the synthesis of Er3+, Yb3+ ions co-doped upconversion materials, specifically in fine-tuning the emission color for the final upconversion materials.

Keywords: Hydrothermal method; GdPO4:Er3+; Yb3+; Phosphors; Upconversion luminescence
Corresponding author: Yanhong Li, School of Material Science and Engineering, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Liaoning, Shenyang, 110142, P.R. China, E-mail:

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Informed consent: Not applicable.

  3. Author contributions: Yanhong Li: Methodology, Writing, Investigating, Funding acquisition, Supervision, Project administration, Resources. Jiaxing Qing: Experiment, Writing. Jing Ma. Testing. The authors has accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  4. Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.

  5. Conflict of interest: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  6. Research funding: This work was supported by Scientific Study Project for Colleges and Universities, Education Department of Liaoning Province, China (LJ201902).

  7. Data availability: The raw data can be obtained on request from the corresponding author.

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Received: 2023-12-21
Accepted: 2024-10-09
Published Online: 2025-02-10
Published in Print: 2025-02-25

© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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https://doi.org/10.1515/ijmr-2023-0372
Keywords for this article
Hydrothermal method; GdPO4:Er3+; Yb3+; Phosphors; Upconversion luminescence

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Review
  3. A review on advancement in mechanical and structural properties of graphene reinforced aluminium matrix composites
  4. Original Papers
  5. Effect of pH and Yb3+ doping concentration on the structure and upconversion luminescence properties of GdPO4:Er3+,Yb3+
  6. Fabrication and characterization of reduced graphene oxide on MoS2 film for IR detectors
  7. Green synthesis of highly luminous lemon juice-based carbon dots for antimicrobial assessment and fingerprint detection
  8. Cobalt aluminates prepared by ultrasonic-assisted synthesis using different surfactants for Congo red photocatalytic degradation
  9. Molecular dynamics study of the dissolution of crystalline and amorphous nickel nanoparticles in aluminium
  10. Effect of Zr content on strain-induced precipitation behavior of Ti–Zr microalloyed low-carbon steel
  11. On 2-stage martensitic transformation behavior in aged Ti50.5Ni33.5Cu11.5Pd4.5 alloys with near-zero thermal hysteresis
  12. Microstructure, XRD characteristics and tribological behavior of SiC–graphite reinforced Cu-matrix hybrid composites
  13. News
  14. DGM – Deutsche Gesellschaft für Materialkunde
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