Piezoelectric and upconversion emission properties of Er3+-doped 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)TiO3 ceramic

In this investigation, the ferroelectric, piezoelectric properties, and upconversion(UC) emissions of Er3+-doped 0.5Ba(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3-0.5(Ba0.7Ca0.3)Ti O3(BZT-BCT) were investigated. The results showed that the ferroelectric and piezoelectric performances of BZT-BCT ceramics decreased with the increment of Er doping content. Under the excitation of 980 nm light, all samples exhibited strong green UC emissions. A maximum green UC emission was observed in BZT-BCT:0.015 Er. The variation of the UC emission with Er doping content did not coincide with that of electrical properties of the ceramics. The relation between the UC emission and piezoelectric properties was discussed.