Tuning into blue and red: europium single-doped nano-glass-ceramics for potential application in photosynthesis

Abstract

A series of SiO₂–Al₂O₃–NaF–YF₃ oxyfluoride glasses and β-YF₃ nanocrystals embedded glass ceramics single-doped with europium ions were prepared by high-temperature melt-quenching to explore blue/red luminescent materials for potential application in the photosynthesis of green plants. Both Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺ activators were demonstrated to coexist in this specially designed glass fabricated under ambient atmosphere, which can be well explained based on the optical basicity model of glass and evidenced by emission, excitation and time-resolved spectra. Furthermore, the crystallization strategy has been adopted to convert the precursor glasses into nano-glass-ceramics. As a result, Eu³⁺ ions partitioned into the precipitated orthorhombic YF₃ nanophase, while Eu²⁺ ions remained in the glass matrix. Such spatial isolation of the different active ions in glass ceramics can effectively suppress adverse energy transfer between Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺, leading to both intense Eu²⁺ blue and Eu³⁺ red emissions under ultraviolet light excitation.