Preparation and luminescent properties of CaF2:Ln3+ (Ln:Er,Er/Yb)/Nafion composite films

In this work, CaF_2:Ln~(3+)(Ln:Er,Er/Yb)/Nafion composite films were prepared using Nafion as modifications and matrices by dripping method. The composite films were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Composite films are transparent and CaF_2:Ln~(3+)(Ln:Er,Er/Yb) nanoparticles are well dispersed in Nafion films.The thicknesses of CaF_2:Er~(3+)/Nafion and CaF_2:Er~(3+),Yb~(3+)/Nafion composite film are about 77 and 73 μm,respectively. The nanoparticles in composite film possess cubic phase. CaF_2:Er~(3+),Yb~(3+)/Nafion composite film has stronger characteristic emission of Er~(3+) around 1530 nm with full width at half-maximum(FWHM) of 73 nm and longer luminescence lifetimes of 22.04 μs(25.03%) and 100.77 μs(74.97%).     

Simulation of f-d transition using the extended crystal-field model: parameter dependent study for Er3+ in various hosts

The 4f-5d transitions of Er³⁺ ions doped in crystals were widely studied due to their potential applications in quantum cutting phosphors and VUV lasers, etc. The theory to do the calculations of 4f-5d transitions and various related aspects, such as the ways to determining various parameters, were summarized. The impacts of various interactions on the spectra were also demonstrated clearly with Er³⁺ ions in crystals CaF₂ and LiYF₄. Predicted results were compared with measured spectra.     

Preparation and luminescence properties of Eu3+ doped oxyfluoride borosilicate glass ceramics

Oxyfluoride borosilicate glass with the molar composition of 60SiO2-15B2O3-15Na2O-8CaF2-2NaF-0.25Eu2O3 was synthesized by a traditional glass melting method. Glass ceramics containing CaF2 nanocrystals were prepared by heat treating the glass samples at a tem-perature in the range of 620-680 °C. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) indicated that the average crystallite size and the lattice constant of CaF2 nanocrystals increased with the heat treatment temperature increasing. The luminescence spectra showed that the emission intensity of Eu3+ doped glass ceramics was stronger than that of the glass matrix, and increased with the heat treatment temperature increasing. The left edge of excitation band shifted to shorter wavelength in the glass ceramics. The local environments of Eu3+ ions in the glass and glass ceram-ics were different.     

Up-conversion of Er3＋/yb3＋ co-doped transparent glass-ceramics containing Ba2LaF7 nanocrystals

The up-conversion of Er3+/Yb3+co-doped transparent glass-ceramics 50SiO2-10AlF3-5TiO2-30BaF2-4LaF3-0.5ErF3-0.5YbF3 containing Ba2 LaF7 nanocrystals under the changing of heat treatment temperature and time were investigated.The Ba2 LaF7 nanocrystals precipitated from the glass matrix was confirmed by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The structural investigation carried out by XRD and transmission electron microscopy(TEM) evidenced the formation of cubic Ba2 LaF7 nanocrystals with crystal size of about 14 nm.Comparing with the samples before heat treatment,the high efficiency up-conversion emission of Er3+/Yb3+co-doped samples was observed in the glass-ceramics under 980 nm laser diode excitation.The increase in red emission intensity bands was stronger than the green bands when the crystal size increased.The mechanism for the up-conversion process in the glass-ceramics and the reasons for the increase of Er3+/Yb3+co-doped up-conversion intensity after heat treatment were discussed.     

Complexation-Coprecipitation Synthesis and Characterization of Erbium and Antimony Doped SnO2 Conductive Nanoparticles

Er was used as a dopant for the first time in preparing conductive powder to improve its performance. Er and Sb doped SnO₂ conductive nanoparticles were prepared by the complexation-coprecipitation method with Sn, Sb₂O₃ and Er₂O₃ as the raw materials. Thermal behavior, crystal phase, and structure of the prepared conductive nanoparticles were characterized by TG/DSC, FTIR, XRD and TEM techniques, respectively. The resistivity of the prepared conductive nanoparticles was 0.29 Ω·cm; TG/DSC curves showed that the precursors lost weight completely before 750 °C; FTIR spectrum showed that the vibration peak were wide peak in 711 × 600 cm⁻¹; the Er and Sb doped SnO₂ conductive nanoparticles had intense absorption in 4000 × 1600 cm⁻¹; Er and Sb doped SnO₂ had a structure of tetragonal rutile; complex doping was achieved well by complexation-coprecipitation method and was recognized as replacement doping or caulking doping; TME showed that the particles were weakly agglomerated, the size of the particles calcined at 800 °C ranged approximately from 10 to 30 nm.     

Phase Diagrams of the Zr–Si–RE (RE=La and Er) Ternary Systems at 773?K (500?°C)

The isothermal sections of the phase diagram of the Zr–Si–RE (RE=La and Er) systems at 773 K (500 °C) have been investigated using X-ray power diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and optical microscopy (OM) with the aid of metallographic analysis. The existences of 10 binary compounds, namely ZrSi₂, α-ZrSi, α-Zr₅Si₄, Zr₃Si₂, Zr₂Si, RESi₂, RESi_2–x , RESi, RE₅Si₄, and RE₅Si₃ have been confirmed in the Zr–Si–RE (RE=La and Er) systems, respectively. As for the reported binary compound RE₃Si₂, only La₃Si₂ has been observed in the Zr–Si–La system, whereas Er₃Si₂ was not found. No binary compound was found in the Zr–RE binary systems, and no ternary compound was found in the current ternary systems. None of the phases in Zr–Si–La system reveals a remarkable solid solution at 773 K (500 °C). However, the maximum solid solubility of Zr in Er, Er₅Si₃, Er₅Si₄, ErSi, ErSi_1.67, and ErSi₂ is determined to be approximately 12.0 at. pct, 2.4 at. pct, 3.0 at. pct, 3.3 at. pct, 2.2 at. pct, and 1.8 at. pct, respectively. The maximum solid solubility of Er in ErSi₂ is approximately 1.8 at. pct. No remarkable solid solubility of the elements in any of the other phases has been observed.     

Influence of Er2O3 content on microstructure and mechanical properties of ZTA-TiO2 composites

The influence of Er_2 O_3 addition on the phase evolution and mechanical properties of sintered(1600 ℃,4 h) ZTA(yttria stabilized zirconia toughened alumina)-TiO_2 composites was investigated. The SEM and XRD results reveal the formation of a new erbium zirconium oxide,Zr_3 Er_4 O_(12),with a granulate morphology when Er_2 O_3 content is higher than 1 wt%. The grain sizes of both Al_2 O_3 and yttria-stabilized zirconia phases decrease with an increase in the Er_2 O_3 content. The relative density, Vickers hardness and fracture toughness of the composites are found to be strongly dependent on their grain sizes, relative densities and the formation of the Zr_3 Er_4 O_(12) secondary phases. The composite with 5 wt% Er_2 O_3 shows the highest relative density(99.93%), Vickers hardness(1752 HV) and fracture toughness(7.92 MPa·m~(1/2)).     

The nature of dispersed phases in Ti-0.7at.%Er prepared by rapid solidification processing

Specimens of Ti-0.7 at.% Er, containing oxygen concentrations above and below that required to combine with the Er to form Er₂O₃, have been laser melted and subsequently heat-treated for various times over a range of temperatures. The nature of the small precipitates (maximum size − 50 nm) formed as a consequence of this processing has been assessed using electron diffraction. It has been shown that these precipitates are two different forms of cubic Er₂O₃ which, while having slightly different lattice parameters, form coherently with the Ti matrix with two different orientation relationships. Some larger precipitates (minimum size − 100 nm) are also present and these have been identified as carbides and incoherent Er₂O₃. These results are discussed with respect to other recent work on Ti-Er alloys prepared by rapid solidification.     

Tuning structure and magnetic properties of table-like magnetocaloric effect in Er6MnSb2 by zirconium substitution

In this study,zirconium(Zr) successfully substituted for erbium(Er) in Er_6-xZr_xMnSb₂(x=0,0.5,1,1.5) of the Fe₂P type,with comprehensive characterizations on crystal structure,electronic structure and magnetic properties.According to synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data analysis and density functional theory calculation,Zr does not randomly but preferentially occupy during the doping process and results in weaker magnetic exchange interactions and ...     

The thermal conductivity of slags used in electroslag remelting

Measurements of thermal diffusivities of solid ESR slags from the system CaF₂ + Al₂O₃ + CaO for temperatures between 200 and 1200°C using laser flash method. Thermal conductivities derived from these data. In the polycrystalline specimens used in this study the radiation conduction is shown to be negligible, heat transfer occurs predominantly by phonon conduction. An appreciable contribution to the thermal conductivity arises from gaseous conduction across pores and microcracks in the specimen. Thermal conductivity decreases with decreasing CaF₂ content.     

On the interaction between alumina batch and cryolite-alumina melt

The influence produced by the bulk density of alumina powder on the rate of its dissolution in a cryolite-alumina melt of the composition, wt %, 5.5 CaF₂, 1.5 MgF₂, 0.3 Al₂O₃, 2.28 CR is studied. The melt temperature is 950°C; the dissolution rate is determined visually and by changes in the concentration of aluminum oxide in the melt. It is discovered that the dissolution rate of alumina increases in proportion to its bulk density.     

Er and Gd Co-Doped Ceria-Based Electrolyte Materials for IT-SOFCs Prepared by the Cellulose-Templating Method

Ce_0.9?x Gd_0.1Er _x O_1.9?x/2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) (EGDC) powders were successfully synthesized with a fast and facile cellulose-templating method for the first time and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The samples were calcined at a relatively low calcination temperature of 773 K (500 °C). The sintering behavior of the calcined EGDC powders was also investigated at 1673 K (1400 °C) for 6 hours. Calcined Ce_0.9?x Gd_0.1Er _x O_1.9?x/2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) powders and sintered Ce_0.9?x Gd_0.1Er _x O_1.9?x/2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) pellets crystallized in the cubic fluorite structure. It was found that the relative densities of the sintered EGDC pellets were over 95 pct for all the Er contents studied. Moreover, the effect of Er content on the ionic conductivity of the gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC, Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.90) was investigated. The highest ionic conductivity value was found to be 3.57 × 10^?2 S cm^?1 at 1073 K (800 °C) for the sintered Ce_0.82Gd_0.1Er_0.08O_1.91 at 1673 K (1400 °C) for 6 hours.     

The solution rate of alumina in CaF2-Al2 O3 slags

The rate of solution of A1₂O₃ in CaF₂ + 30 wt pct A1₂O₃ (at 1518° and 1509°C) and CaF₂ + 20 wt pct A1₂O₃ (at 1500°C) liquids has been determined. The operative process is diffusion-controlled, with an interdiffusion coefficient,D for the process varying between 8.5 and 8.1 x 10^-5 sq cms ^- 1 in the CaF₂ + 30 wt pct A1₂O₃ slags, and 4.0 × 10^-5 sq cms ^- 1 in the CaF₂ + 20 wt pct A1₂O₃ slag. Estimations of the rate at which alumina inclusions would react with these slag during the electroslag processing of steels, indicate that electrode inclusions approaching 100 μ in diam will be dissolved.     

Evaluation of B2O3 as replacement for CaF2 in CaO–Al2O3 based mould flux

In order to develop low fluoride or fluoride free CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux for casting high aluminium steel, an investigation was carried out to study the effect of substituting CaF₂ with B₂O₃ on heat transfer and crystallisation behaviour of CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux by employing a heat transfer simulator of mould flux and a single hot thermocouple technique. The results showed that addition of CaF₂ promoted heat transfer of CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux, which was opposite to the effect of CaF₂ on heat transfer in conventional CaO–SiO₂ based mould flux. Addition of CaF₂ inhibited crystallisation of CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux by lowering the start crystallisation temperature and prolonging the incubation time of crystallisation. B₂O₃ showed similar effects to CaF₂ on heat transfer and crystallisation of CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux, but its ability to promote heat transfer and suppress crystallisation was stronger than CaF₂. Ca₃B₂O₆ (melting temperature 1480°C) was found as the primary crystalline phase in fluoride free CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux compared with the primary crystalline phase Ca₂Al₃O₆F (melting temperature 1507°C) in fluoride bearing (20% CaF₂) CaO–Al₂O₃ based mould flux.     

Nanocrystals precipitation and up-conversion luminescence in Yb^3＋-Tm^3＋ co-doped oxyfluoride glasses

Rare earth ions doped oxyfluoride glass with composition of 28SiO2·22AlO1.5·40PbF2·10PbO·（4.8-x） GdFy0.1NdF3.xYbF3·0.1TmF3 （x=-0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 4.8） in molar ratio was developed. When the oxyfluoride glasses were heat-treated at the first crystallization temperature, the glasses gave transparent glass-ceramics in which rare earth containing fluorite-type nanocrystals of about 17.2 nm in diameter uniformly precipitated in the glass matrix. Compared with the glasses before heat treatment, the glass-ceramics exhibited very strong blue up-conversion luminescence under 800 nm light excitation. Rare earth containing nanocrystals were also space selectively precipitated upon laser irradiation in an oxyfluoride glass, the size of precipitated nanocrystals could be controlled by laser power and scan speed. The intensity of the blue up-conversion luminescence was strongly dependent on the precipitation of β-PbF2 nanocrystal and the YbF3 concentration. The reasons for the highly efficient Tm^3＋ up-conversion luminescence after laser irradiation were discussed.     

Effect of alkali metal oxides R2O （R=Na, K） on 1.53 μm luminescence of Er3＋-doped Ga2O3-GeO2 glasses for optical amplification

This paper reported the thermal stability and spectroscopic properties of Ga2O3-GeO2-Na2O-K2O (GGNK) glasses doped with Er3+. The GGNK glasses were characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (D...     

Effects of Er3+ doping on structure and thermal properties of (Sm1–xErx)2Zr2O7 ceramics for thermal barrier coating

Rare earth Er³⁺ doped (Sm_1–xEr_x)₂Zr₂O₇ (x = 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3) ceramic samples were synthesized using a solid state reaction method. The microstructure and thermal properties of these ceramics were investigated to evaluate their potential as thermal barrier coating materials. The results show that ceramics are compact with regular-shaped grains of 1–5 μm size. (Sm_1–xEr_x)₂Zr₂O₇ has a pyrochlore structure mainly determined by ionic radius ratio, but the ordering degree decreases with increase of the Er₂O₃ content. There is no phase transformation from 1000 to 1200 °C, and the (Sm_1–xEr_x)₂Zr₂O₇ ceramics exhibit excellent phase stability during thermal treatment at 1200 °C for 100 h and 1400 °C for 50 h. The thermal conductivities of dense (Sm_1–xEr_x)₂Zr₂O₇ ceramics range from 1.52 to 1.59 W/(m·K), which is lower than that of Sm₂Zr₂O₇, and decrease as the Er₂O₃ content increases. Besides, the thermal expansion coefficient of (Sm_1–xEr_x)₂Zr₂O₇ is higher than that of Sm₂Zr₂O₇.     

Effect of elastic strain energy on the core-shell structures of the precipitates in Al-Sc-Er alloys

The effect of the elastic strain energy on the core-shell structures was studied in an Al-0.06Sc-0.02Er (at.%) alloy. A theoretical model for the calculation of the elastic strain energy caused by core-shell precipitates, which is applicable to materials with weak elastic ani-sotropy, was adopted. It was demonstrated that the partitioning of Er to the precipitate core did not reduce the elastic strain energy as expected in the previous study. The resistance due to the elastic strain energy to form an Al3(Sc0.36Er0.64)-Al3(Sc0.8Er0.2) core-shell precipitate was quite small, and could be easily overcome by the decrease of the total interfacial energy, which was consistent with the previous experimental re-sults. On the other hand, the resistance due to the elastic strain energy to form an Al3Er-Al3Sc core-shell precipitate was much larger than that to form an Al3(Sc0.36Er0.64)-Al3(Sc0.8Er0.2) core-shell precipitate, thus the partitioning of all the Er atoms to the core was strongly hindered by the elastic strain energy and was not observed in the experiment of the previous study.)     

Electrochemical behaviour and codeposition of Al-Li-Er alloys in LiCl-KCl-AlCl3-Er2O3 melts

The electrochemical behaviour of Al, Li, and Er were investigated by electrochemical techniques, such as cyclic voltammograms, chronopotentiometric, chronoamperograms, and open circuit chronopotentiogram on molybdenum electrodes. The results showed that the underpotential deposition of erbium on pre-deposited Al electrodes formed two Al-Er intermetallic compounds. The codeposition of Al, Li, Er occurred and formed Al-Li-Er alloys in LiCl-KCl-AlCl3 -Er2O3 melts at 773K. Different phases such as Al2Er, Al2Er3 and βLi phase of Al-Li-Er alloys were prepared by galvanostatic electrolysis and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that Er element mainly distributed at the grain boundary. ICP analyses showed that lithium and erbium contents of Al-Li-Er alloys could be controlled by AlCl3 and Er2O3 concentration and electrochemical parameters.