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All-inorganic cesium lead bromide CsPbBr 3 perovskite quantum dots (QDs) are emerging as potential candidates for their applications in optoelectronic devices but they suffer from poor long-term stability due to their high sensitivity to UV irradiation, heat, and especially to moisture. Although great advances in improving stability of perovskite QDs have been achieved by surface modification or encapsulation in polymer and silica, they are not sufficiently refrained from external environment due to nondense structures of these protective layers. In this work, in situ nanocrystallization strategy is developed to directly grow CsPbBr 3 QDs among a specially designed TeO 2 -based glass matrix. As a result, QD-embedded glass shows typical bright green emission assigned to exciton recombination radiation and significant improvement of photon/thermal stability and water resistance due to the effective protecting role of dense structural glass. Particularly, ∼90% of emission intensity is even remained after immersing QD-embedded glass in water up to 120 h, enabling them to find promising applications in white-light-emitting device with superior color stability and low-threshold random upconverted laser under ambient air condition.

Cu nanowires (CuNWs) are considered as a promising candidate to develop high performance metal aerogels, yet the construction of robust and stable 3D porous structures remains challenging which severely limits their practical applications. Here, graphene-hybridized CuNW (CuNW@G) core-shell aerogels are fabricated by introducing a conformal polymeric coating and in situ transforming it into multilayered graphene seamlessly wrapped around individual CuNWs through a mild thermal annealing process. The existence of the outer graphene shell reinforces the 3D bulk structure and significantly slows down the oxidation process of CuNWs, resulting in improved mechanical property and highly stable electrical conductivity. When applied in electromagnetic interference shielding, the CuNW@G core-shell aerogels exhibit an average effectiveness of ≈52.5 dB over a wide range (from 8.2 to 18 GHz) with negligible degradation under ambient conditions for 40 d. Mechanism analysis reveals that the graphene shell with functional groups enables dual reflections on the core-shell and a multiple dielectric relaxation process, leading to enhanced dielectric loss and energy dissipation within the core-shell aerogels. The flexible core-shell-structured CuNW@G aerogels, with superior mechanical robustness and electrical stability, have potential applications in many areas such as advanced energy devices and functional composites., (© 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Owing to its low-cost and satisfactory luminescent-emission performance in warm white light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs), the non-rare-earth Mn4+-activated red phosphor has become a promising competitor of commercial rare-earth doped phosphor. In this study, a series of novel red-light emitting phosphors based on Ca2YSbO6:Mn4+ have been developed successfully by a conventional solid-state reaction. The structural and luminescent properties of these phosphors are systematically investigated. The as-prepared Ca2YSbO6:Mn4+ product exhibits a broad excitation band ranging from 250 to 600 nm and an abnormal intense deep-red emission centered at 680 nm with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ∼46 nm. The optimal Mn4+ doping concentration is about 0.3 mol%, and the concentration quenching mechanism is determined to be a dipole-dipole interaction. Impressively, the Ca2YSbO6:0.003Mn4+ phosphor shows an outstanding quantum efficiency of 62.6% and an excellent thermal stability. In addition, the effect of Li+, Mg2+, Na+ and K+ dopants on the luminescent properties of Mn4+-doped Ca2YSbO6 phosphors is elucidated. Furthermore, by employing the as-prepared Ca2YSbO6:Mn4+ as a red component, a warm w-LED with high color rendering index (Ra = 87.5) and low correlated color temperature (CCT = 3255 K) can be acquired. It is believed that the present phosphor has a potential application as a supplement of the red component for warm w-LEDs.

As a novel type of promising materials, metal halide perovskites are a rising star in the field of optoelectronics. On this basis, a new frontier of zero-dimensional perovskite-related Cs4PbBr6 with bright green emission and high stability has attracted an enormous amount of attention, even though its photoluminescence still requires to clarification. Herein, the controllable phase transformation between three-dimensional CsPbBr3 and zero-dimensional Cs4PbBr6 is easily achieved in a facile ligand-assisted supersaturated recrystallization synthesis procedure via tuning the amount of surfactants, and their unique optical properties are investigated and compared in detail. Both Cs4PbBr6 and CsPbBr3 produce remarkably intense green luminescence with quantum yields up to 45% and 80%, respectively; however, significantly different emitting behaviors are observed. The fluorescence lifetime of Cs4PbBr6 is much longer than that of CsPbBr3, and photo-blinking is easily detected in the Cs4PbBr6 product, proving that the zero-dimensional Cs4PbBr6 is indeed a highly luminescent perovskite-related material. Additionally, for the first time, tunable emissions over the visible-light spectral region are demonstrated to be achievable via halogen composition modulations in the Cs4PbX6 (X = Cl, Br, I) samples. Our study brings a simple method for the phase control of CsPbBr3/Cs4PbBr6 and demonstrates the intrinsic luminescence nature of the zero-dimensional perovskite-related Cs4PbX6 products.

Expanding the photoresponse range of TiO2-based photocatalysts is of great interest for photocatalytic H2 production. Herein, noble-metal-free CuInS2 quantum dots were employed as a novel inorganic dye to expand the visible light absorption of TiO2/MoS2 for solar H2 generation. The as-prepared CuInS2/TiO2/MoS2 photocatalysts exhibit broad absorption from the ultraviolet to near-infrared region. Under visible light irradiation (λ > 420 nm), the CuInS2/TiO2/MoS2 photocatalyst with 0.6 mmol g-1 CuInS2 and 0.5 wt% MoS2 showed the highest H2 evolution rate with a value of 1034 μmol h-1 g-1. Moreover, a considerable H2 evolution rate of 141 μmol h-1 g-1 was obtained under the irradiation of the optimized CuInS2/TiO2/MoS2 photocatalyst with >500 nm light. The reaction mechanism of the CuInS2/TiO2/MoS2 photocatalyst for photocatalytic H2 evolution was investigated in detail by photoluminescence decay study, and the results showed that the photoexcited electrons of CuInS2 can be transferred efficiently through TiO2 to MoS2 and then react with the absorbed protons to generate H2. The reported sensitization strategy tremendously improves the visible light absorption capacity and the photocatalytic performance of TiO2-based photocatalysts.

Cr 3+ -doped Bi 2 Ga 4 O 9 -Bi 2 Al 4 O 9 solid-solution (SS) phosphors were fabricated to explore their possible application in fluorescence lifetime-based temperature sensing. The present samples exhibited E2→A 2 4 R-line emissions associated with T 2 4→A 2 4 phonon sideband emissions of Cr 3+ in the wavelength range of 600-850 nm upon the excitation of visible light. Through modifying the Al/Ga ratio in the SS hosts, the Cr 3+ crystal field was easily tuned from intermediate to strong, being beneficial to modulate an energy gap between E2 and T 2 4 thermally coupled emitting states. As a result, linearly temperature-sensitive fluorescence lifetime was achieved in the Cr 3+ -doped Bi 2 Ga 4 O 9 -Bi 2 Al 4 O 9 SSs with a high Al/Ga ratio, enabling us to conveniently and accurately determine a temperature with a high relative sensitivity of 2.13-3.26%  K -1 .

Tunability of emitting colors of perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) was generally realized via composition/size modulation. Due to their bandgap absorption and ionic crystal features, the mixing of multiple PQDs inevitably suffers from reabsorption and anion-exchange effects. Herein, we address these issues with high-content Mn 2+ -doped CsPbCl 3 PQDs that can yield blue-excitable orange Mn 2+ emission benefited from exciton-to-Mn energy transfer and Cl-to-Br anion exchange. Silica-coating was applied to improve air stability of PQDs, suppress the loss of Mn 2+ , and avoid anion-exchange between different PQDs. As a direct benefit of intense multicolor emissions from Mn 2+ -doped PQD@SiO 2 solid phosphors, a prototype white light-emitting diode with excellent optical performance and superior light stability was constructed using green CsPbBr 3 @SiO 2 and orange Mn: CsPb(Cl/Br) 3 @SiO 2 composites as color converters, verifying their potential applications in the field of optoelectronics.

In upconversion nanocrystals where Er 3+ acts as the activator, concentration quenching will easily occur when the content of Er 3+ is high (generally >5mol%), and the Er 3+ spatial distribution which is a key factor affecting the concentration quenching is an important issue that must be considered. Herein, we selected Yb:NaErF 4 as a light-emitting layer and investigated its upconversion performance and temperature sensing behaviors in two kinds of core-shell nanoarchitectures. Yb 3+ and Er 3+ activators were distributed in a three-dimensional sphere and two-dimensional thin layer in Yb:NaErF 4 @Yb/Nd:NaYF 4 @NaGdF 4 and NaGdF 4 @Yb:NaErF 4 @Yb/Nd:NaYF 4 @NaGdF 4 core-shell nanocrystals, respectively. The difference in Er 3+ spatial distribution in the core-shell structure resulted in significant modification of red-to-green ratios and decay behaviors upon excitation at 376 nm, 808 nm, 980 nm and 1532 nm, and the related mechanisms were systematically investigated. In addition, the spatial distribution of Er 3+ was demonstrated to have no obvious effect on the transitions of Er 3+ thermally coupled 2 H 11/2 → 4 I 15/2 and 4 S 3/2 → 4 I 15/2 and the relative sensitivity for temperature determination under 808 nm laser excitation.

Currently, the shortage of red components and easy aging of organic silicone still remain challenges for high-power phosphor-converted warm white light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs). Aiming to alleviate these issues, phosphor-in-glass (PiG), fabricated by co-sintering red- and yellow-emitting phosphors and low-melting glass, has been regarded as a promising color converter for w-LEDs. In this study, a Li + ,Mn 4+ co-doped SrMgAl 10 O 17 red phosphor was synthesized via a conventional solid-state reaction. The as-prepared phosphor exhibits a deep red emission, ascribed to Mn 4+ : 2 E g → 4 A 2g spin-forbidden transition in the range of 600-700 nm with a narrow-band full width at half maximum of 55 nm, and provides an ideal broadband excitation extending from 250 to 530 nm. Impressively, the Li + additive used as charge compensation was beneficial to enhance the Mn 4+ luminescence by allowing more Mn 4+ to replace Al 3+ . Furthermore, the developed SrMgAl 10 O 17 :Mn 4+ ,Li + red phosphor and commercial YAG:Ce 3+ yellow phosphor co-doped inorganic PiG were successfully fabricated as color converters to substitute organic silicone. The w-LED was fabricated by combining an InGaN blue LED chip with a PiG plate. Importantly, the constructed w-LEDs exhibited superior optical performance and tuned chromaticity feature with the correlated color temperature evolved from bluish cool white (6903 K) to yellowish warm white (3717 K), and the color rendering index increased from 69.4 to 85.5, meeting the requirements for indoor lighting.

Full-color visible emissions are particularly crucial for applications in displays and lightings. In this work, we developed a facile room-temperature ligand-assisted supersaturated recrystallization synthesis of monodisperse, cubic structure Cs 1-m FA m PbX 3 (X = Cl, Br, and I or their mixtures Cl/Br and Br/I, 0 ≤ m ≤ 1) hybrid perovskite quantum dots (QDs). Impressively, cation substitution of Cs + by FA + was beneficial in finely tuning the band gap and in exciton recombination kinetics, improving the structural stability, and raising the absolute quantum yields up to 85%. With further assistance of anion replacement, full-spectral visible emissions in the wavelength range of 450-750 nm; narrow full width at half-maxima, and a wide color gamut, encompassing 130% of National Television System Committee television color standard, were achieved. Finally, Cs 1-m FA m PbX 3 -polymer films retaining multicolor luminescence are prepared and a prototype white light-emitting diode device was constructed using green Cs 0.1 FA 0.9 PbBr 3 and red Cs 0.1 FA 0.9 Br 1.5 I 1.5 QDs as color converters, certainly suggesting their potential applications in the optoelectronics field.

Noble-metal-free, visible-light-responsive and "green" MoS 2 nanosheet modified-InVO 4 heterostructures were synthesized as efficient photocatalysts for photocatalytic H 2 production. The positive effect of intimate nanojunctions formed between MoS 2 and InVO 4 resulted in the excellent activity of MoS 2 /InVO 4 which is even higher than that of Pt-loaded InVO 4 .

In this study, a lead-free ceramic system comprising (0.94 - x)Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.06BaTiO3-xBi(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3 (BNT-BT-BZT) was designed and prepared by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The effect of the addition of BZT on the phase transition characteristics and associated electromechanical properties of BNT-BT was systematically discussed and a schematic phase diagram was established. The addition of BZT had a strong impact on the phase transition as well as the strain and piezoelectric activity. The phase coexistence, which involves ferroelectric rhombohedral-relaxor pseudocubic phases, can be driven by modification with BZT and increases in temperature and can be confirmed by XRD measurements, analysis of Raman spectra and temperature-dependent changes in polarization and strain hysteresis loops. Accompanied by a shift in the ferroelectric-to-relaxor temperature TF-R to below room temperature on the addition of BZT, a compositionally induced ferroelectric-to-relaxor phase transition occurred, which gave rise to a large strain of 0.33% with a normalized strain Smax/Emax of 550 pm V(-1) at the critical BZT content x of 0.0275. The results were closely correlated with the composition and dependence on temperature of the phase transition, which significantly influenced the electromechanical properties, and the origin of the large strain observed in the present system was also addressed in detail. As a result, the design principles provided in this study open the possibility of obtaining BNT-based lead-free ceramics with enhanced electromechanical properties for actuator applications.

A strategy to achieve high sensitivity of noncontact optical thermometer via the structure design of nanoglass-ceramic and the usage of Ln(3+) (Ln = Eu, Tb, Dy) luminescence as reference signal and Cr(3+) emission as temperature signal was provided. Specifically, the synthesized dual-phase glass-ceramics were evidenced to enable spatially confined doping of Ln(3+) in the hexagonal GdF3 nanocrystals and Cr(3+) in the cubic Ga2O3 nanoparticles, being beneficial to suppressing detrimental energy transfer between Ln(3+) and Cr(3+) and thus significantly enhancing their luminescence. As a consequence, completely different temperature-sensitive luminescence of Ln(3+)4f → 4f transition and Cr(3+) 3d → 3d transition in the present glass-ceramic resulted in obvious variation of Cr(3+)/Ln(3+) fluorescence intensity ratio with temperature and strikingly high detecting temperature sensitivity of 15-22% per K. We believe that this preliminary study will provide an important advance in exploring other innovative optical thermometry.

With an increasing demand for high-power warm white light emitting diodes (w-LEDs), the discovery of efficient red-emitting inorganic color converters is in great demand. Herein, a novel perovskite La0.5Na0.5TiO3:Eu(3+) red-emitting phosphor with excellent thermal stability and high quantum efficiency has been successfully synthesized by a traditional solid-state reaction. Then, the developed La0.5Na0.5TiO3:Eu(3+) red phosphor and commercial YAG:Ce(3+) yellow phosphor were incorporated into an innovatively designed low-melting glass. Impressively, the destruction of La0.5Na0.5TiO3:Eu(3+) and YAG:Ce(3+) phosphor particles during glass melting was quite low. Remarkably, the fabricated w-LEDs using an InGaN-based blue chip combined with Phosphor in Glass (PiG) plates exhibited an improved chromaticity feature and superior optical performance. Through simply adjusting the content of red phosphors in the PiG, the correlated color temperature of the PiG-based w-LEDs evolved from cool white (6771 K) to warm white (4417 K) and the color rendering index increased from 73.4 to 86.4. Moreover, the PiG-based warm w-LEDs presented superior thermal stability.

Conventional luminescent color coding is limited by spectral overlap and the interference of background fluorescence, thus restricting the number of distinguishable identities that can be used in practice. Here, we demonstrate the possibility of generating diverse time-domain codes, specially designed for a single emission band, using lanthanide-doped upconversion nanocrystals. Based on the knowledge of concentration quenching, the upconversion luminescence kinetics of KYb2 F7 : Ho(3+) nanocrystals can be precisely controlled by modifying the dopant concentration of Ho(3+) ions, resulting in a tunable emission lifetime from 75.8 to 1944.5 μs, which suggests the practicality of these time-domain codes for optical multiplexing., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

A strategy has been adopted for simultaneous morphology manipulation and upconversion luminescence enhancement of β-NaYF4:Yb(3+)/Er(3+) microcrystals by simply tuning the KF dosage. X-ray power diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence spectra (PL) were used to characterize the samples. The influence of molar ratio of KF to Y(3+) on the crystal phase and morphology has been systematically investigated and discussed. It is found that the molar ratio of KF to Y(3+) can strongly control the morphology of the as-synthesized β-NaYF4 samples because of the different capping effect of F(-) ions on the different crystal faces. The possible formation mechanism has been proposed on the basis of a series of time-dependent experiments. More importantly, the upconversion luminescence of β-NaYF4:Yb(3+)/Er(3+) was greatly enhanced by increasing the molar ratio of KF to RE(3+) (RE = Y, Yb, Er), which is attributed to the distortion of local crystal field symmetry around lanthanide ions through K(+) ions doping. This synthetic methodology is expected to provide a new strategy for simultaneous morphology control and remarkable upconversion luminescence enhancement of yttrium fluorides, which may be applicable for other rare earth fluorides.

A strategy to achieve 808 nm excited single-band red upconversion luminescence of Ho(3+) via the core-shell nanoarchitecture design was provided. Specifically, the synthesized Yb/Ho/Ce: NaGdF4@Yb/Nd: NaYF4 active-core@active-shell nanoparticles were evidenced to enable high-content doping of Nd(3+) (∼10 mol %) in the shell layer and, thus, markedly enhance red upconversion emission from Ho(3+) activators in the core with the assistance of spatially confined doping of Nd(3+) ions and efficient energy transfer of Nd(3+) → Yb(3+)(shell) → Yb(3+)(core) → Ho(3+). Importantly, introducing Ce(3+) into the core was beneficial to the competition of radiation transitions from the two intermediate excited states of Ho(3+): (5)S2,(5)F4 (green-emitting) and Ho(3+): (5)F5 (red-emitting), which induced great enhancement in the red to green intensity ratio and ultimately intense single-band red upconversion emission. We believe that this preliminary study will provide an important advance in developing luminescent markers suitable for biolabeling applications.

Yb(3+)/Ho(3+) activated glass ceramics containing β-YF3 nanocrystals were successfully fabricated. The green ((5)S2/(5)F4→(5)I8) upconversion emission is dominant in the glass ceramics and is about 160 times stronger than that of the precursor glass, resulting from the partition of lanthanide activators into a low-phonon-energy crystalline lattice and the subsequent low probability of multi-phonon nonradiative relaxation from the (5)S2/(5)F4 and (5)I6 states to the lower ones. Upon the introduction of Ce(3+) ions into nano-glass-ceramics, two efficient cross-relaxation processes between Ho(3+) and Ce(3+), i.e., Ho(3+):(5)S2/(5)F4 + Ce(3+):(2)F5/2→Ho(3+):(5)F5 + Ce(3+):(2)F7/2 and Ho(3+):(5)I6 + Ce(3+):(2)F5/2→Ho(3+):(5)I7 + Ce(3+):(2)F7/2, are demonstrated to greatly suppress the population of the green-emitting (5)S2/(5)F4 state and to enhance the population of the red-emitting (5)F5 one, leading to the intense single-band red UC radiation of Ho(3+).

K(Y1-xYbx)3F10 (x = 0-1) solid-solution nanocrystals embedded glass ceramics were fabricated via glass self-crystallization. Using Eu(3+) as a structural probe, the partition of lanthanide activators into the K(Y1-xYbx)3F10 lattice was evidenced. As a consequence, color-tunable upconversion luminescence from green to red was easily realized by modifying Yb(3+) content in the Er(3+)-doped nano-glass-ceramics.

Monodisperse Pr(3+)/Yb(3+):NaGdF₄@NaYF₄ active-core/inert-shell nanoparticles, which exhibit efficient near-infrared quantum-cutting luminescence, are successfully prepared. In order to relieve the adverse effect caused by concentration quenching in the core, the extra Yb(3+) ions are introduced into the shell, forming an active-core/active-shell structure which leads to a much intensified near-infrared emission.

Currently, upconversion nanocrystals and long-lasting phosphorescent particles have attracted extensive research interest for their possible applications as bioimaging probes. However, there are few reports concerning the achievement of both upconversion luminescence of lanthanide ions and long-lasting phosphorescence of transition metal ions in a sole host so far. Herein, we demonstrate a novel calcium gallium germanium garnet (Ca3Ga2Ge3O12) host where lanthanide ions such as Tm(3+)/Yb(3+) and transition metal ions such as Cr(3+) can be easily incorporated through substituting the Ca(2+) and Ga(3+) respectively. This Cr/Yb/Tm:Ca3Ga2Ge3O12 phosphor exhibits both broadband near-infrared long-lasting phosphorescence of Cr(3+) with an afterglow time of more than 7000 s and near-infrared to near-infrared upconversion luminescence of Tm(3+). Impressively, it is evidenced that the addition of Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) into Cr:Ca3Ga2Ge3O12 not only results in Tm(3+) upconversion luminescence but also greatly increases Cr(3+) afterglow time. Based on excitation/emission, three-dimensional thermoluminescence, and time-resolved luminescence spectra, the related long-lasting phosphorescence and upconversion luminescent mechanisms are systematically discussed as well.

The purpose of the present work is to demonstrate that the hexagonal Yb/Er:NaGdF4 core size has a great impact on the completeness of the NaYF4 shell covering the core. With the increase of core size, the morphology of core-shell nanocrystals evolves from nanosphere to hexagonal nanoprism and finally to hexagonal nanoplate and, impressively, compared to that on the lateral faces of cores, the shell thickness on the top/bottom faces of cores becomes thinner. The shell growth mechanism is proposed to be the separate nucleation of the shell precursors followed by their ripening-mediated deposition on the cores. Based on this mechanism, controlling the thickness and completeness of the shell on the core can be easily realized by adopting appropriate size cores, which results in the intensification of upconversion luminescence of core-shell nanocrystals 10 000 times as high as that of the core-only ones. Generally, these new findings should be beneficial for designing and fabricating complex core-shell architecture and the understanding of structure-related properties of core-shell nanocrystals.

Cr(3+)-doped SrGa12O19 is demonstrated to be a broadband near-infrared (650-950 nm) long-persistent phosphor whose luminescence can last for more than 2 h after ultraviolet irradiation is stopped. Detailed analysis of the photoluminescence and thermoluminescence spectra and of the persistent decay behavior of the Cr(3+)-doped SrGa12O19 samples indicate that the persistent energy transfer from the SrGa12O19 host to the Cr(3+) ions and the filling and release of electrons into and from the shallow and deep traps through the conduction band is responsible for the long-persistent phosphorescence., (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Upon introducing Ca(2+) dopants into the grain lattices by substituting Gd(3+) ions, irregular Yb/Er:NaGdF4 nanocrystals prepared through a simple solvothermal route convert into highly uniform nanorods. Meanwhile, their upconversion luminescence intensifies by about 200 times, probably due to a modification of the crystal structure of NaGdF4 and an improvement in the crystallinity of the nanophase., (Copyright © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

NaGdF4 is regarded as an ideal upconversion (UC) host material for lanthanide (Ln(3+)) activators because of its unique crystal structure, high Ln(3+) solubility, low phonon energy and high photochemical stability, and Ln(3+)-doped NaGdF4 UC nanocrystals (NCs) have been widely investigated as bio-imaging and magnetic resonance imaging agents recently. To realize their practical applications, controlling the size and uniformity of the monodisperse Ln(3+)-doped NaGdF4 UC NCs is highly desired. Unlike the routine routes by finely adjusting the multiple experimental parameters, herein we provide a facile and straightforward strategy to modify the size and uniformity of NaGdF4 NCs via alkaline-earth doping for the first time. With the increase of alkaline-earth doping content, the size of NaGdF4 NCs increases gradually, while the size-uniformity is still retained. We attribute this "focusing" of size distribution to the diffusion controlled growth of NaGdF4 NCs induced by alkaline-earth doping. Importantly, adopting the Ca(2+)-doped Yb/Er:NaGdF4 NCs as cores, the complete Ca/Yb/Er:NaGdF4@NaYF4 core-shell particles with excellent size-uniformity can be easily achieved. However, when taking the Yb/Er:NaGdF4 NCs without Ca(2+) doping as cores, they could not be perfectly covered by NaYF4 shells, and the obtained products are non-uniform in size. As a result, the UC emission intensity of the complete core-shell NCs increases by about 30 times in comparison with that of the cores, owing to the effective surface passivation of the Ca(2+)-doped cores and therefore protection of Er(3+) in the cores from the non-radiative decay caused by surface defects, whereas the UC intensity of the incomplete core-shell NCs is enhanced by only 3 times.

A series of Er(3+)-doped (1 - x)CaF(2)-xYbF(3) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) disordered solid-solution nanocrystals with various mean sizes were successfully prepared by a facile solvothermal route. Interestingly, abnormal size-dependent upconversion emissions were demonstrated in these nanocrystals for the first time. With increasing grain size, an obvious enhancement of red to green emission ratio was observed in the Er(3+) (2 mol%): 0.4CaF(2)-0.6YbF(3) nanocrystals, which is the opposite of the routine size-dependent upconversion emission behavior reported previously. Taking Eu(3+) ions as a structural probe, we investigated the influence of a disordered solid-solution structure on Ln(3+) luminescence, and proposed that Ln(3+) clusters formed in the host should play a key role to induce this unusual size-dependent upconversion emission phenomenon. As a consequence, multi-colors such as green, yellow, and red upconversion emissions can be easily realized by appropriately modifying the Yb(3+) content in the Er(3+)-doped (1 - x)CaF(2)-xYbF(3) nanocrystals. The reported results will deepen the understanding of size effects on the lanthanide upconversion in nanocrystals.

SiO(2):Eu(3+) based bulk composites containing ZnO quantum dots were synthesized by an in situ sol-gel process. The quantum dots homogeneously distributed among the SiO(2) glass matrix exhibited a broad ultraviolet emission band centered at 385 nm. The ZnO ultraviolet luminescence intensity decreased monotonically with increasing Eu(3+) doping concentration, while the Eu(3+) visible emission was intensified significantly by the precipitation of ZnO quantum dots, ascribed to the energy transfer from ZnO to Eu(3+). The Eu(3+) luminescence at 612 nm for the sample with 20 mol% ZnO was about ten times stronger than that for the sample without ZnO. The influence of ZnO or Eu(3+) concentration on the energy transfer process is discussed.

Single crystalline PbMoO4 dendrites were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method in the presence of surfactants. The formation and evolution of these dendrites was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and the results clearly showed that the dendritic structure was achieved through oriented attachment of nanoparticles along crystallographically specific direction while the traditional Ostwald ripening mechanism also acted to form the initial particles before attachment and smooth the morphology of the dendrites after attachment.