skip to main content


Title: Simultaneous enhancement of near infrared luminescence and stability of Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Cr 3+ double perovskite single crystals enabled by a Yb 3+ dopant
Broadband near infrared (NIR) emission materials are of interest for various applications including non-destructive biomedical imaging. In this work, ytterbium ions (Yb 3+ ) were successfully doped into Cs 2 AgInCl 6 :Cr 3+ (CAIC:Cr 3+ ) double perovskite single crystals (DPSCs) by a facile hydrothermal method. Under 365 nm excitation, the co-doped CAIC:Cr 3+ ,Yb 3+ DPSCs showed broad NIR emission ranging from 800 to 1400 nm, which spanned the NIR-I (700–900 nm) and NIR-II (1000–1700 nm) bio-windows, with an emission band at 1000 nm and a full-width at half maximum (FWHM) of 188 nm. It is found that Yb 3+ ion doping could effectively improve the photoluminescence (PL) performance of CAIC:Cr 3+ DPSCs. Compared to the photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 22.5% for the single doped CAIC:Cr 3+ , the co-doped CAIC:Cr 3+ ,Yb 3+ DPSCs show a higher PLQY of ∼45%, which is attributed to the synergistic effect of reduced non-radiative recombination due to defect passivation and increase in crystallinity, and energy transfer (ET) of self-trapped excitons (STEs) to Cr 3+ . As a demonstration of applications, NIR pc-LEDs were fabricated by combining the as-synthesized NIR-emitting phosphor CAIC:Cr 3+ ,Yb 3+ with InGaN UV chips ( λ em = 365 nm) and used to image veins in a palm and for night vision using a NIR camera. The results suggest that the synthesized CAIC:Cr 3+ ,Yb 3+ DPSCs have great potential in biological applications.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1904547
NSF-PAR ID:
10411942
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Inorganic Chemistry Frontiers
Volume:
9
Issue:
18
ISSN:
2052-1553
Page Range / eLocation ID:
4695 to 4704
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Yb 3+ -Doped lead-halide perovskites (Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 ) have emerged as unique materials combining strong, tunable broadband absorption with near-infrared photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs) approaching 200% at ambient temperature. These remarkable properties make Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 an extremely promising candidate for spectral shaping in high-efficiency photovoltaic devices. Previous theoretical assessments of such “downconversion” devices have predicted single-junction efficiencies up to 40%, but have been highly idealized. Real materials like Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 have practical limitations such as constrained band-gap and PL energies, non-directional emission, and an excitation-power-dependent PLQY. Hence, it is unclear whether Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 , or any other non-ideal quantum-cutting material, can indeed boost the efficiencies of real high-performance PV. Here, we examine the thermodynamic, detailed-balance efficiency limit of Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 on different existing PV under real-world conditions. Among these, we identify silicon heterojunction technology as very promising for achieving significant performance gains when paired with Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 , and we predict power-conversion efficiencies of up to 32% for this combination. Surprisingly, PL saturation does not negate the improved device performance. Calculations accounting for actual hourly incident solar photon fluxes show that Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 boosts power-conversion efficiencies at all times of day and year in two representative geographic locations. Predicted annual energy yields are comparable to those of tandem perovskite-on-silicon technologies, but without the need for current matching, tracking, or additional electrodes and inverters. In addition, we show that band-gap optimization in real quantum cutters is inherently a function of their PLQY and the ability to capture that PL. These results provide key design rules needed for development of high-efficiency quantum-cutting photovoltaic devices based on Yb 3+ :CsPb(Cl 1−x Br x ) 3 . 
    more » « less
  2. New optical materials with efficient luminescence and scintillation properties have drawn a great deal of attention due to the demand for optoelectronic devices and medical theranostics. Their nanomaterials are expected to reduce the cost while incrementing the efficiency for potential lighting and scintillator applications. In this study, we have developed praseodymium-doped lanthanum hafnate (La 2 Hf 2 O 7 :Pr 3+ ) pyrochlore nanoparticles (NPs) using a combined co-precipitation and relatively low-temperature molten salt synthesis procedure. XRD and Raman investigations confirmed ordered pyrochlore phase for the as-synthesized undoped and Pr 3+ -doped La 2 Hf 2 O 7 NPs. The emission profile displayed the involvement of both the 3 P 0 and 1 D 2 states in the photoluminescence process, however, the intensity of the emission from the 1 D 2 states was found to be higher than that from the 3 P 0 states. This can have a huge implication on the design of novel red phosphors for possible application in solid-state lighting. As a function of the Pr 3+ concentration, we found that the 0.1%Pr 3+ doped La 2 Hf 2 O 7 NPs possessed the strongest emission intensity with a quantum yield of 20.54 ± 0.1%. The concentration quenching, in this case, is mainly induced by the cross-relaxation process 3 P 0 + 3 H 4 → 1 D 2 + 3 H 6 . Emission kinetics studies showed that the fast decaying species arise because of the Pr 3+ ions occupying the Hf 4+ sites, whereas the slow decaying species can be attributed to the Pr 3+ ions occupying the La 3+ sites in the pyrochlore structure of La 2 Hf 2 O 7 . X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) showed a strong red-light emission, which showed that the material is a promising scintillator for radiation detection. In addition, the photon counts were found to be much higher when the NPs are exposed to X-rays when compared to ultraviolet light. Altogether, these La 2 Hf 2 O 7 :Pr 3+ NPs have great potential as a good down-conversion phosphor as well as scintillator material. 
    more » « less
  3.  
    more » « less
  4. Abstract

    Efficient broadband near‐infrared (NIR) emitting materials with an emission peak centered above 830 nm are crucial for smart NIR spectroscopy‐based technologies. However, the development of these materials remains a significant challenge. Herein, a series of design rules rooted in computational methods and empirical crystal‐chemical analysis is applied to identify a new Cr3+‐substituted phosphor. The compound GaTaO4:Cr3+emerged from this study is based on the material's high structural rigidity, suitable electronic environment, and relatively weak electron–phonon coupling. Irradiating this new phosphor with 460 nm blue light generates a broadband NIR emission (λem,max = 840 nm) covering the 700–1100 nm region of the electromagnetic spectrum with a full width at half maximum of 140 nm. The phase has a high internal quantum yield of 91% and excellent thermal stability, maintaining 85% of the room temperature emission intensity at 100 °C. Fabricating a phosphor‐converted light‐emitting diode device shows that the new compound generates an intense NIR emission (178 mW at 500 mA) with photoelectric efficiency of 6%. This work not only provides a new material that has the potential for next‐generation high‐power NIR applications but also highlights a set of design rules capable of developing highly efficient long‐wavelength broadband NIR materials.

     
    more » « less
  5. Erbium lanthanum titanate glasses were prepared by levitation melting for the spectroscopic study of ways to promote the mid-infrared fluorescence. Two series of heavily erbium doped glasses (15 wt%) were prepared with the addition of either Pr3+or Nd3+in amounts relative to Er3+of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2. Both ions quench the lower Er3+laser level with the Pr3+doing so more rapidly. Although high co-dopant concentrations result in higher energy transfer, as clearly evidenced in upconversion and downconversion fluorescence measurements, the mid-infrared lifetime also suffers a reduction and, therefore, a balance must be struck in the co-dopant concentration. Lifetime and spectral measurements indicate that, at a fixed relative co-dopant amount, Pr3+is more effective than Nd3+at removing the bottleneck of the Er3+4I13/2level. Moreover, consideration of the lifetimes alongside the absorption data of the individual ions indicates that despite the large absorption cross-section of Nd3+at 808 nm, the concentration needed to yield more absorbed power than utilizing direct 976 nm excitation of Er3+results in unfavorable lifetimes of the mid-infrared transition. In the end, Pr3+prevails as the superior co-dopant in terms of the effects on fluorescence lifetimes as well as potential laser system design considerations. In a unique self-doping approach, a reducing melt atmosphere of Ar instead of O2creates a small fraction of Ti3+. In 5Er2O3-12La2O3-83TiO2glass, the presence of Ti3+quenches the4I13/2emission about 2.6 times more than the4I11/2when lifetimes are compared to an O2melt environment. As an additional means of increasing the mid-infrared emission, the effect of temperature on the mid- and near- infrared lifetimes of a lightly doped lanthanum titanate composition is investigated between 77-300 K. The mid-infrared lifetime increases by ∼30% while the near-infrared lifetime increases by ∼10%, which suggests in addition to co-doping, active cooling of the gain media will further enhance performance.

     
    more » « less