Color tunability and temperature sensing capabilities in Dy3+/Sm3+ co-doped transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics containing K3YF6 nanocrystals

Abstract

This paper presents the preparation and characterization of transparent oxyfluoride glass ceramics (GCs) that contain nanocrystals of K3YF6 co-doped with Dy3+ and Sm3+. The study investigates the luminescence characteristics, the process of energy transfer (ET) and the behavior of the ratio-metric temperature sensing. The formation of well-defined nanocrystals of K3YF6 in the glass substrate was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). By varying Sm3+ concentration, a tunable emission ranging from pale yellow to orange-red was observed. Energy transfer from Dy3+ to Sm3+ ions was confirmed through fluorescence spectra and decay curves. Sample K3YF6, containing 0.5 mol%Dy3+/1.2 mol%Sm3+, showed an absolute sensitivity (Sa) of 0.635 % K−1 and relative sensitivity (Sr) of 0.401 % K−1. These findings underscore the promising applications of K3YF6: Dy3+, Sm3+ GCs in multicolor displays and high-performance temperature sensing devices.