Abstract
Tb<sup>3+</sup> and Ag co-doped glass nano-composites are synthesized in a glass matrix Li<sub>2</sub>O-LaF<sub>3</sub>-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-SiO<sub>2</sub> (LLAS) by a melt-quench technique. The nucleation and growth of Ag nanoparticles (NPs) were controlled by a thermal annealing process. A broad absorption band peaking at about 420 nm was observed due to surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of Ag NPs. Annealing of glass samples results in the growth of Ag NPs. Photoluminescence (PL) emission and excitation spectra were measured from glass samples with different Ag concentrations and different annealing times. Plasmon enhanced Tb<sup>3+</sup> luminescence was observed at certain excitation wavelength regions. Luminescence quenching was observed for samples with high Ag concentration and longer annealing time. Our luminescence results suggest that there are two competitive effects, enhancement and quenching, acting on Tb<sup>3+</sup> luminescence in the presence of Ag NPs. The enhancement of Tb<sup>3+</sup> luminescence is mainly attributed to local field effects: the SPR of Ag NPs causes an intensified electromagnetic field around the NPs, resulting in enhanced optical transitions of Tb<sup>3+</sup> ions in the vicinity. The quenching effect in the presence of Ag NPs suggests an energy transfer from Tb<sup>3+</sup> ions to Ag NPs. The competition between the plasmonic enhancement and the quenching effect is discussed for samples with different Ag concentrations and annealing times.
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