Silver nanoparticles enhanced 1.53 µm band fluorescence of Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ codoped tellurite glasses

The silver nanoparticles (NPs) was introduced into the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ codoped tellurite glasses with composition of TeO₂–ZnO to improve the 1.53 µm band fluorescence of Er³⁺ and the thermal stability of glass host. The UV–Vis–NIR absorption spectra, 1.53 µm band fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decaying curves, the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) curves, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of glass samples were characterized to investigate the effect of silver NPs on the fluorescence properties of Er³⁺, thermal stability and structure behavior of glass host. It is shown that the Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ codoped tellurite glass emits intense 1.53 µm band fluorescence with peak wavelength located at about 1532 nm under the 980 nm excitation. The introduction of silver NPs further improves the fluorescence intensity of Er³⁺ which is attributed to the enhanced local electric field effect induced by localized surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) of silver NPs and the possible energy transfer from silver NPs to Er³⁺. An improvement by about 62% of 1.5³ µm band fluorescence intensity was found in the studied Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ codoped tellurite glass containing 0.5 mol% amount of AgNO₃. In addition, the thermal stability of glass host increases with the introduction of silver NPs while the glass structure maintains the amorphous nature. The present results indicate that the prepared Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ codoped tellurite glass with an appropriate amount of silver NPs has good prospect as a gain medium applied for 1.53 µm band broad and high-gain erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs). - Highlights: • Tellurite glass with Er³⁺/Yb³⁺ and silver NPs was prepared by melt-quenching method. • Silver NPs with average size of 12 nm and Plasmon band at 560 nm was observed. • Addition of silver NPs increased the thermal stability of tellurite glass. • Addition of silver NPs significantly enhanced 1.53 µm fluorescence intensity of Er³⁺