Upconversion fluorescence modulation of CaTiO3: Yb3+/Er3+ nanocubes via Zn2+ introduction

To investigate the effect of Zn2+ ions on the luminescence properties of rare earth (RE) doped calcium titanate materials, CaTiO3: Yb3+/Er3+/Zn2+ nanocubes with uniform size were prepared by solvothermal method in this paper. They were respectively characterized by X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and their fluorescence lifetimes. The results show that the average size of the nanocubes is about 550 nmx650 nmx850 nm with good upconversion luminescence (UCL) properties. Under 980 nm laser excitation, the effects of the ratio between activator Er3+ and sensitizer Yb3+ and Zn2+ doping on the upconversion fluorescence properties were investigated, and the optimal ion ratio was obtained. The results of steady-state spectra show that the strongest fluorescence intensity of CaTiO3: Yb3+/Er3+ was obtained with the addition of 10 mol% Zn2+ at a Yb3+/Er3+ molar doping ratio of 3:0.3, which was attributed to the crystal field asymmetry generated by the introduction of Zn2+ ions. The energy transfer and upconversion mechanism between Yb3+ and Er3+ ions in CaTiO3 nanocubes were investigated by analyzing the upconversion fluorescence kinetics.