Doping Percentage Research Articles

The effect of vanadium doping on the cycling performance of LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 spinel cathode for high voltage lithium-ion batteries

High voltage LiNi 0.5 Mn 1.5 O 4 (LMNO) spinel cathode has been attracting high interest due to its high energy density and cobalt-free chemistry. However, high temperature (50 °C) cycling behavior is not very good because of the electrolyte decomposition, metal dissolutions, and the formation of gas products. To improve the high-temperature cycling behavior of the LMNO spinel cathode, vanadium doping was employed. For this purpose, pristine LMNO, LiNi 0.45 Ti 0.1 Mn 1.45 O 4 , and LiNi 0.4 V 0.1 Mn 1.5 O 4 cathode materials were synthesized and their elevated temperature cycling behavior was compared. After 200 cycles, the 10% V-doped LMNO still has an excellent cycling performance of 99.5 mAh g −1 (capacity fade is 6.55%) at 50 °C and 1C-rate compared to 28.8 mAh g −1 pristine LMNO (capacity fade is 70.4%), and 84 mAh g −1 LiNi 0.45 Ti 0.1 Mn 1.45 O 4 capacity retention (capacity fade is 25.6%), respectively. These results showed that the V-doped LMNO design is the proper solution for high-temperature durability. • Increasing wt% doping percentage of vanadium causes nickel divanadate impurity. • Mn dissolution is not main capacity fade reason for LMNO. • Active lithium loss causes rapid capacity fade for V-doped LMNO//SiC full-cell.

Synthesis and Application of Fe-Doped TiO2 Nanoparticles for Photodegradation of 2,4-D from Aqueous Solution

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic (2,4-D) is a toxic herbicide used to control weeds in agricultural sector. However, its residuals in soil and water are harmful for human and aquatic life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-D from aqueous solution using the Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles in the presence of UV and sunlight irradiation. The nanoparticles were synthesized via a mild hydrothermal process. The characteristics of the synthesized nanoparticles were determined using powder X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The effects of different parameters, including pH, nanoparticle dosage, initial 2,4-D concentration and dopant percentage on the degradation of 2,4-D, were investigated. The results demonstrated that the successfully doped nanoparticles had likely pseudo-spherical morphology. The optimum conditions for photocatalytic degradation of 2,4-D obtained at pH 7, nanoparticle dosage = 0.4 g/l, initial 2,4-D concentration = 10 mg/l, dopant percentage = 1.5% and contact time = 120 min. Under the optimal conditions, the photocatalytic degradation efficiencies of 2,4-D under UV and sunlight irradiation were 65 and 72%, respectively. In addition, the findings showed that 2,4-D degradation efficiency increased with increasing dosage of nanoparticles, while it decreased with increasing initial concentration of 2,4-D and initial pH. Therefore, the Fe-doped TiO2 nanoparticles could be used for the photodegradation of 2,4-D, and it is recommended for the degradation of other organic pollutants from aqueous media especially in tropical areas where a free energy source, i.e., sunlight, is available.

Desulfurization of gas condensate under visible light using synthesized photocatalysts of Mn/TiO2/MWCNTs and Ni/TiO2/MWCNTs

In this study, Manganese (Mn) and Nickel (Ni) doped on titanium dioxide (TiO2) were loaded on Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes (MWCNTs). These catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray energy dispersive spectrometer/Mapping (EDS/Map), Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET)/Barrett, Joyner, Halenda (BJH) and Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS) methods. A batch reactor was designed and photoactivity of these materials prepared under visible light irradiation was tested using dibenzothiophene (DBT). The Response Surface Methodology (RSM) based on Box–Behnken Design (BBD) was used to evaluate parameters including catalyst mass (g), time (h) and dopant percentage (wt%). The best point for maximum degradation efficiency was obtained under optimum conditions for Mn/TiO2/MWCNTs and Ni/TiO2/MWCNTs catalyst masses of 0.25 and 0.22 (g), time of 5.30 and 4.56 (h), and dopant percentage of 4.22 and 7.82 (wt%) with an efficiency of 92.82 and 98.26%, respectively. Under optimal conditions for the degradation of DBT sulfur, was investigated desulfurization of gas condensate. The highest desulfurization efficiency was obtained by Ni/TiO2/MWCNTs catalyst at 89.11%. The results of kinetic studies show that the Blanchard model has the best agreement with the experimental data.

Metal-Free Carbon-Based Supercapacitors—A Comprehensive Review

Herein, metal-free heteroatom doped carbon-based materials are being reviewed for supercapacitor and energy applications. Most of these low-cost materials considered are also derived from renewable resources. Various forms of carbon that have been employed for supercapacitor applications are described in detail, and advantages as well as disadvantages of each form are presented. Different methodologies that are being used to develop these materials are also discussed. To increase the specific capacitance, carbon-based materials are often doped with different elements. The role of doping elements on the performance of supercapacitors has been critically reviewed. It has been demonstrated that a higher content of doping elements significantly improves the supercapacitor behavior of carbon compounds. In order to attain a high percentage of elemental doping, precursors with variable ratios as well as simple modifications in the syntheses scheme have been employed. Significance of carbon-based materials doped with one and more than one heteroatom have also been presented. In addition to doping elements, other factors which play a key role in enhancing the specific capacitance values such as surface area, morphology, pore size electrolyte, and presence of functional groups on the surface of carbon-based supercapacitor materials have also been summarized.

Analysis of optical linearity and nonlinearity of Fe3+- doped PMMA/FTO polymeric films: New trend for optoelectronic polymeric devices

Iron-doped polymethylmethacrylate (Fe3+/PMMA) films were deposited on FTO glass substrates. X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) were applied to examine the structure of Fe3+/PMMA/FTO films with varying doping percentages of iron-ions. The obtained XRD diffraction results proved the uniform and semi-crystalline in nature of the tested samples. The vibrational modes of both metal-ions and host PMMA polymers were respectively observed at 450 and 980 cm−1. The direct optical energy bandgaps for the proposed undoped and Fe3+-doped PMMA thin films were valued to be approximately 4.11, 4.1004, 4.094, 4.087, 4.07, 3.801, and 3.35 eV. The indirect energy bandgaps were 3.605, 3.58, 3.55, 3.504, 2.85, and 2.37 eV with increasing the Fe3+-contents, respectively. Moreover, the optical limiting of Fe3+/PMMA/FTO films was studied through red He-Ne and green diode lasers operating at 632.8 and 532 nm, correspondingly. Finally, Fe3+-doped PMMA/FTO composites are considered an excellent candidate for various optoelectronic devices.

Influence of tungsten dopants on structural and electrical properties of sol–gel derived V2O5-MoO3 nanocrystalline films

Tungsten oxide (WO3) doped V2O5·MoO3 thin films deposited on glass substrates using dip coating technique were prepared by a Sol–Gel method. Vanadium pentoxide, Molybdenum oxide and Tungsten oxide powder were used as starting precursors. The influence of different doping percentages of (W) has been investigated in X-ray diffraction, High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and electrical measurement. The structure of the obtained nanocrystals were identify by using X-ray diffraction and transmission electron micrograph. The obtained nanorods have lengths up to 220 nm and width of 15–45 nm. The electrical conductivity applied on the sample under investigation. By increasing tungsten (W) concentration the electrical conductivity was found to be increased and the activation energy decreased. Non-adiabatic SPH was found by analysis the electrical conduction.

Structural investigation and optical enhancement characterization of nanostructured Ga-doped @CdO/FTO films for photodiode applications

Abstract In this work, the high quality of CdO film with a different percentage of Ga doping prepared onto optically flat glass substrates using a sol-gel spin coating progression for enhancement of its structural characteristics for various applications. X-ray diffraction results confirm that the prepared films of CdO are amorphous due to the long-range array of deposited crystals. The images of the atomic force microscopy indicated that the surface morphology of the pure and Ga-doped CdO films has high roughness values of 60–80 nm and average particle size 85–100 nm. The optical constants were calculated using the Kramer-Kronig approach. The calculated optical transmission specifies a high transmission exceeding from 77% to 85% through the non-absorbing region depending on the doping concentrations. The results confirm that the measured optical band gap is strongly influenced by doping concentrations of Ga and decreases from 2.35 to 1.72 eV. The calculated optical dispersion and non-linear optical parameters were found to be strongly affected by doping. The terahertz cut-off frequency was set for the pure and Ga-doped CdO films indicating the applicability of the prepared films as terahertz filters.

High-efficiency microwave absorption and electromagnetic interference shielding of Cobalt-doped MoS2 nanosheet anchored on the surface reduced graphene oxide nanosheet

In this paper, Co-doped molybdenum disulfide anchored on the surface reduced graphene oxide (Co@MoS2/rGO) has been successfully synthesized using a simple and effective hydrothermal approach to measure their microwave shielding properties. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique confirmed the successful doping of magnetic atoms into the MoS2 lattice. The experiments show that 15% and 20% Co@MoS2/rGO nanocomposite have higher electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) value up to SET ~ 38.26 and ~ 46.02 dB, respectively. But pure MoS2/rGO nanocomposite demonstrates a lower EMI SE value of around ~ 28.90 dB over the frequency range of 8.0–12.0 GHz with a 1.7 mm thickness. A higher value of the EMI SE depends mainly on the doping percentage of Co-ion. This nanocomposite network enhances the defect dipole polarization, electric conduction, interfacial polarization, and impedance matching characteristics. It is favorable for strong attenuation and dissipation loss ability of microwave energy inside the shielding material. The actual role of Co-doping is to form a highly conductive and magnetic channel between multi-interfaces leading to enhance the migration and hopping of electrons at defective sites or interface. Therefore, the 20% Co@MoS2/rGO nanocomposite is considered as novel microwave shielding material and can be widely used in electronic information and communication devices.

Enhanced magnetic, antibacterial and optical properties of Sm doped ZnO thin films: Role of Sm doping

Abstract Thin films of Sm3+ ions doped ZnO were prepared by dip coating method. To enhance the oxygen vacancy in the host ZnO lattice and obtain crystallinity, the thin films were annealed at 400 °C for 2 h in air. X-ray diffractions (XRD) study displays the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO with crystallite size in the range of 27.37–24.21 nm. The induced carrier concentration, intrinsic defects and oxygen vacancies produced a blue shift in the band gap (Eg) with an increase in Sm doping percentage. The surface morphology is granular with slight agglomeration. Thin films have shown violet photoluminescence. The emissions intensity can be tailored by increasing the Sm percentage which is due to the increase in defect concentration as well as find application in optoelectronic devices. Room temperature ferromagnetism is recorded in the thin films. Hysteresis show that 1 at. wt. % Sm doped ZnO has larger saturation magnetization than 5 at. wt. % Sm doped thin films. The work has established that rare earth element doping in ZnO produces diluted magnetic semiconductors which can be part of absorber layer of solar cell, to store data in memory devices and optoelectronics applications. Antibacterial studies were conducted for Staphylococcus aureus (S. Aureus), klebsiella pneumonia (K. B), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacterial strains by applying the agar well diffusion method to suspension containing undoped ZnO and Sm doped ZnO nanoparticles. The enhancement in the zone of inhibition with an increase in samarium exhibits high antibacterial activity. The results predict that Sm doped ZnO is a good possibility of food packing, removal of the tumor, treatment of pneumonia and a diagnosis of malign diseases.

Effects of Terbium Doping on Structural, Optical and Photocatalytic Properties of ZnO Nanopowder Prepared by Solid-State Reaction

Terbium (Tb) doped zinc oxide (ZnO) nanopowders with different Tb concentrations (3%, 5% and 7%) were synthesized via a solid-state reaction method and investigated by using thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared ray spectroscopy. XRD results showed that the nanopowders have hexagonal wurtzite phase with grain size in the range of 20–56 nm with high purity. The photocatalytic efficiency tested on the degradation of methylene blue dye by hydrogen peroxide under natural UV–Vis irradiation at pH ~ 6.4 in 30 min achieved an increasing from about 3.6 to 48%. The optical properties denoted enhancement of its optical absorption in visible range from about 35 to 72%, a decreasing of its bandgap energy from 3.215 to 3.188 eV and intense photoluminescence emission under ultraviolet excitation in the green and blue spectral range whose wave lengths can be adjusted by varying the Tb doping percentage.

CuO-NiO-TiO2 bimetallic nanocomposites for catalytic applications

CuO-NiO-TiO2 nanocomposites with of 0.01–5.0 wt.% of Cu:Ni (1:1) supported on TiO2 were prepared by a decomposition method. The catalysts structure and chemical composition were studied by means of XRD, SEM, EDX, TEM, FT-IR, UV–DRS, BET-analysis and compared for direct sunlight photo-degradation of methylene blue with commercial P25 catalyst. These studies revealed that the catalyst efficiency solely depends on the percentage of Cu-Ni dopants. The catalyst with low metal dopants displayed better photocatalytic activity. The optimum doping concentration for photo-degradation was 0.05 wt.%. The nanocomposite with higher metal loading (5.0 wt.%) was effectively employed as heterogenous catalyst for selective reduction of nitro benzene to aniline using sodium borohydride and for air oxidation of tertiary amine functionality to a tertiary amide. The synergistic effect of the metals was confirmed by comparing the catalytic activity with individual metal dopings.

The Effect of Sn Doping on the Thermoelectric Properties of SiGe Using First Principle Technique

The thermoelectric properties of hexagonal SiGe doped with Sn with doping percentage of 12.5% and 25% were investigated using linearised augmented plane wave method using the WIEN2k package and semiclassical Boltztmann Transport equation using the BoltzTraP software for the purpose of understanding the role of Sn as a dopant in the SiGe. For temperature range of 300 to 1000 K, it can be seen that by doping with Sn, there is an improvement in overall thermal conductivity of the samples with the highest improvement is in the 25% doped sample. The conductivity vs temperature for 25% Sn doped SiGe also shows higher value through temperature range from 300 K to 1000 K, however the Seebeck coefficient decreases with Sn doping percentage for the same temperature range. Due to lower Seebeck coefficient and higher thermal conductivity values, the overall thermoelectric coefficient, ZT, of the doped compound is lower than the SiGe values with highest ZT equal to 0.29 and 0.17 at 650 K for 12.5% and 25% respectively while the ZT of simulated SiGe at 650 K is 0.35. Thus 25% Sn doping actually reduce the ZT but enhanced the thermal and electrical conductivity of SiGe for temperature range of 300 to 1000 K.

Magnetically gradient-distributed microcapsule/epoxy composites: Low capsule load and highly targeted self-healing performance

One-component self-healing epoxy-matrix composites are needed urgently in the electronics industry because of their ability to repair surface damage autonomously. However, their practical applications are limited by unsuitable external stimuli and heavy microcapsule loads. Here, we report a magnetic-field and ultraviolet dual-responsive microcapsule to endow epoxy composites with a highly targeted self-healing capability under low microcapsule loads. Specifically, 5 wt% Fe3O4@SiO2 nanoparticles that were incorporated into the core material served as magnetic targets and helped the microcapsules to navigate to the near-surface region of a high-failure probability, to form magnetically gradient-distributed microcapsule/epoxy composites. This resulted in a more than fourfold increase in the local microcapsule concentration. The successful targeted self-healing with a microcapsule doping percentage as low as 4 wt% was confirmed by laser-scanning fluorescence confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy observations, and electrochemical testing. In addition, a kinetic model based on isothermal photo-differential scanning calorimetry measurements and a molecular-dynamics simulation model were both established to analyze the self-healing mechanism. Because of the facility and universality of this magnetic control method, these magnetic microcapsules could be guided to concentrate in vulnerable parts of other electrical insulators as desired, which highlights the good potential of this targeted self-healing method in energy fields.

Low temperature chemical synthesis of ZnS, Mn doped ZnS nanosized particles: Their structural, morphological and photophysical properties

In this paper, we report synthesis of ZnS and Mn doped ZnS nanosized particles by a simple and effective chemical method and their structural, morphological and photophysical properties. XRD and TEM analysis confirmed the formation of nanosized ZnS and Mn doped ZnS particles. The ZnS nanoparticles were found to be of spherical shape with size <5 nm (average) which further decreases with increasing Mn doping concentration. FESEM and AFM analysis were carried out to get an insight of the morphology of the as prepared nanoparticles in thin film form. As revealed by FESEM, the thin films were found to show uniform morphology along with formation of clusters due to agglomeration of the nanosized particles. AFM analysis suggests that the surface roughness of the films reduces with increasing Mn doping percentage in ZnS. UV-Vis and PL analysis were carried out to study the photophysical properties of the ZnS and Mn doped ZnS nanostructures.The UV–Vis spectra show the presence of blue shift in the absorption peak along with an increase in band gap attributable to the quantum confinement effect. This blue shift increases as the Mn doping percentage in ZnS increases (0.06–0.17 eV). The PL spectroscopy confirms the presence of yellow/red peak arising from the doping of Mn in ZnS nanoparticles.

Effect of Aluminum Doping on Performance of HfOₓ-Based Flexible Resistive Memory Devices

The Al-doped HfO x -based resistive memory devices have been fabricated on indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated polyethylene terephthalate (PET) flexible substrate at room temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is used to extract the different doping percentage of Al which allows optimizing the switching performance. It improves the cycle-to-cycle and cell-to-cell uniformity of switching parameters by tuning the oxygen vacancies in HfO x layers. The 7.5% Al-doped HfO x -based flexible resistive memory device shows excellent switching characteristics such as resistance ratio ( $> 10^{3}$ ) and retention ( $\sim 10^{4}$ s). There is no degradation of memory window under the mechanical strain with bending radius ranging from 25 to 5 mm. The temperature-dependent resistive switching characteristics have also been studied. There is sufficient memory window ( $> 10^{2}$ ) till $\sim 10^{4}$ s at elevated temperature. The ${I}$ – ${V}$ curve fitting shows the ohmic (hopping) conduction in low resistance state (LRS) and the trap-controlled space charge limited conduction (SCLC) in high resistance state (HRS), supported by Arrhenius plot.

Effects of Erbium on the Properties of Electrochemically-Deposited Zirconium Telluride Thin Films

This work studies the effects of varying erbium dopant percentages on the optical, structural, morphological,elemental, and electrical properties of zirconium telluride thin films deposited via electrochemical deposition technique.The obtained films were characterized using Uv-Visible Spectrophotometer, X-ray diffractometer (XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectroscope (EDX), and a four-point probe system. XRD analyses showed cubic polycrystalline films with the most intense peak at (111) plane. SEM micrographs revealed spherical balls while EDX spectra confirmed the deposition of basic elements. Good optical features and decreased band gap energies from 1.80 eV to 1.76 eV were observed upon addition of erbium. The electrical conductivities of the films improved significantly upon doping. The deposited films are potential solar cells, and optical materials.

Enhanced photocatalytic performance of novel S2− doped MIL-53(Fe) under visible light

This work highlights a systematic investigation on doping (S2−) on photoactive MIL-53(Fe) and its performance evaluation. Doping (structural/interstitial), leading to tailoring of optical band-gap energies of the parent materials to maximize their performances is well known. However, alteration or tuning of band-gap energy may not essentially always lead to a better performance in photocatalytic reactions and this aspect becomes more pertinent for hybrid materials like Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs). Since, doping might lead to wider variations in structural conformations in a hybrid MOF like material, underlines the importance of the extent. A microwave synthesis route was proposed to effectively synthesize the products where dopant (S2−) percentages were varied from 1 to 10% stoichiometrically in the reaction mixture. Different spectroscopic techniques like UV–vis DRS, FT-IR, micro Raman, Photoluminescence (PL), Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and Electron Spin Resonance spectroscopy (ESR) were used to understand the extent of doping on structural conformations of MIL-53(Fe). The influence of doping showed an increase in optical-band gap energy w.r.t to parent MIL-53(Fe) (1.996 eV): 1% S (2.224 eV); 4% S (2.376 eV), 7% S (2.448 eV) and 10% S (2.579 eV). The coordination of metal oxo cluster from calculated Nephelauxetic factor values in synthesized materials showed electron cloud expansion from 6.51% (1% S) to 16.36% (10% S). The IVCT band intensity was highest for 1%S and accordingly Methylene blue (MB) degradation yielded best performance for 1%S doped MIL-53(Fe) (ca. 97.14%) and repeatability study showed the material to be stable even after 5 cycles. The overall reaction mechanism was hypothesized based on DPBF assay and standard reaction kinetic trap analyses.

Doping-induced modulation of optical properties of PFO/PMMA composite films

Composite films of PFO/PMMA with different PFO concentrations were prepared by solution casting method and studied for their optical properties. FESEM reveals that the PFO segregates with the increasing doping concentration. Absorption spectrum possesses two distinct bands peaking around 220 nm and 450 nm related to PFO and PMMA, respectively, whose intensity increases with doping percentage. Both direct and indirect band gap values obtained from Tauc plots decrease with doping concentration. The calculated Urbach energy values decrease with the doping concentration. The refractive index (both imaginary and real parts) increases with the doping concentration. All these values tend to stabilise around 1 wt% of PFO and do not show much variation beyond these. Present study demonstrates the effect of doping concentration on the optical properties of PFO/PMMA composite.

Enhanced photocatalytic activity of hydrogen evolution through Cu incorporated ZnO nano composites

Green environment friendly and economical light responsive photocatalytic method was used to investigate the improving H2 efficiency of ZnO by Cu doping. Efficient nano composites of ZnO doped with varying percentage of copper (0.0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.05 mol.%) were synthesized by sol-gel method to analyze H2 evolution. Cu incorporation did not change the hexagonal wurtzite structure of ZnO nanoparticles as examined by x-ray diffraction (XRD). EDX indicates no external trace found in Cu doped ZnO samples and surface area decrease by increasing Cu contents in ZnO proved by BET. Morphology of particles through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is nearly spherical. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) was utilized to determine the energy band gap (Eg). Cu incorporation into ZnO decreased energy band gap from 3.19 eV to 3.00 eV. XPS shows electronic state of nanoparticles. Recombination rate of photo induced electrons and holes analyzed by photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) decreased by increase in Cu doping percentage. Further the reduced recombination rate was examined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and photocurrent density. EIS and photocurrent density are in good affiliation with photoluminescence results. Cu incorporated ZnO catalysts caused an enhancement in H2 production from 7.49 μmol g-1 to 41.55 μmol g-1. Such improvement in H2 production by Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles is due to the reduced recombination of electrons and holes during photocatalytic reaction.

Quest to enhance up-conversion efficiency: a comparison of anhydrous vs. hydrous synthesis of NaGdF4: Yb3+ and Tm3+ nanoparticles

A major challenge in the field of up-converting (UC) nanomaterials is to enhance their efficiencies. The –OH defects on the surface of the nanoparticles are thought to be the main cause of luminescence quenching, but there are no comparative studies in the literature showing the impact of anhydrous vs. hydrous synthesis on up-conversion efficiency. In this article, we present the synthesis of up-converting NaGdF4: Yb+3, Tm+3 nanoparticles by two different methods: thermal decomposition of single source metal-organic anhydrous precursors [NaLn(TFA)4(diglyme)] (Ln = Gd, Tm, Yb; TFA = trifluoroacetate) and room temperature co-precipitation using hydrated inorganic salts Ln(NO3)3·5H2O (Ln = Gd, Tm, Yb), NaNO3 and NH4F in ethylene glycol. After a detailed study on the influence of solvents and the percentage of lanthanide dopant on the crystal phase of the up-converting nanoparticles (NPs) and their complete characterization, a comparative up-conversion study was carried out which revealed that the uniform nanospheres (av. size ∼13 nm) obtained from the anhydrous SSP had significantly higher up-conversion efficiency than agglomerated nanorods (∼197 nm in length and ∼95 nm in width) produced from hydrated inorganic salts. An enhanced up-conversion quantum yield of 1.8% for the anhydrous sample validates the anhydrous precursor approach as a strategy to obtain small but highly emitting up-converting particles without requiring a silica or undoped matrix surface passivation layer.