The enhancement of large photochromic coloration contrast with rapid responsive behavior in Ba3MgSi2O8:Dy3+ ceramics for instant information displays

Abstract

Designing photochromic systems with information displays has been seldom studied but is critical to the realization of instant hand-writable system. Previous instant hand-writable systems with inorganic photochromic materials limited to low color contrast. Herein, by controlling the sintering environment and ion doping concentration, an excellent light response is achieved by engineering the formation of oxygen vacancy defects in Ba3MgSi2O8:0.25%Dy3+, the maximum color contrast as high as 80.7%. A hand-rewritable system fabricated using these photochromic materials exhibits excellent writing and erasing reversibility in response to UV illumination and thermal stimulus. In addition, a large luminescence modulation of 86.2% is achieved due to the well overlap between the emission peak of Dy3+ and the absorption peak of Ba3MgSi2O8. The resulting insights will be useful to researchers in inducing oxygen vacancy defects in high-performance inorganic photochromic systems for superior functional design.