Elaboration and characterization of glass–ceramic enriched by heavily manganese doped zinc silicate nanoparticles for optoelectronic applications

Abstract

Nanocrystallines Mn2+-doped zinc silicate (β-Zn2SiO4:Mn) embedded in SiO2 host matrix were synthesized in two steps. In the first one a sol–gel process was used for the elaboration of silica aerogel monolith enriched by ZnO:Mn nanoparticles using supercritical conditions of ethanol. In the second step a simple solid-phase reaction under natural atmosphere at 1500 °C was investigated. The structure and texture of the obtained nanocomposites were studied by X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy respectively. The optical results indicate that the obtained nanocomposites have excellent luminescence properties in the visible range. In addition, the PL spectrum for the β-Zn2SiO4:Mn/SiO2 nanocomposite reveals a band centered at about 584 nm attributed to the 4T1–6A1 transitions of Mn2+ ions. The intensive yellow luminescence presents a red shift and the lifetime is relatively weak compared to the known luminescence properties of this material. The obtained results are attributed to the protocol used and the excess of Mn2+ ions. The linear diminishing behaviours of the PL integrate intensity with the operating temperature, and the variation of the time decay with the Mn2+ contents; make it possible to anticipate the utilization of this material in luminescence thermometry.