Journal of the American Ceramic Society, Vol.97, No.9, 2909-2914, 2014
Investigations on CaF2: Nd Microcrystal-Glass Composites with High Transmittance and Long Fluorescence Lifetime
A kind of novel CaF2:Nd microcrystal-glass composites with high transmittance and long fluorescence lifetime were prepared by a two-step melt-quenching technique. Based on Mie theory, a theoretical estimate of the scattering losses was suggested for the microcrystal-glass composites. By matching dispersion curve of the glass matrix and CaF2 microcrystal in the range of UV-Vis-NIR, the transmittance can reach 83%. The effects of CaF2:Nd microcrystals/glass ratio on structure and optical properties were investigated. The composite sample-doped 30wt% CaF2:Nd nano/microcrystals exhibits long fluorescence lifetime of 518s at 1051nm.