Enhanced up-conversion luminescence in transparent glass-ceramic containing KEr(3)F(10):Er(3+) nanocrystals and its application in temperature detection

Transparent Er(3+) doped glass-ceramics containing KEr(3)F(10):Er(3+) nanocrystals were prepared via the traditional melt-quenching technique. The micro-structures, optical properties and up-conversion luminescence behaviors of the Er(3+) doped glass-ceramics were systemically studied using X-ray diffraction, absorption and up-conversion luminescence spectra. Under the excitation of a laser at 980 nm, the intensity of red emission of the glass-ceramics increases more than 70 times after heat treatment compared with that of the precursor glass ceramic. Moreover, the fluorescence intensity ratio of the thermally coupled energy levels ((2)H(11/2) and (4)S(3/2)) shows a good linear relationship with temperature and maintains relatively high sensitivities of 0.398% per K at 303–573 K, which indicates that the glass ceramics have promising applications in temperature detection.