Lanthanide ions doped luminescent nanomaterials

Lanthanide ions based luminescent materials are of significant interest due to their technological importance. Such materials can be obtained either by complexing lanthanide ions with suitable organic ligands or by doping them in appropriate inorganic lattices having different dimensions. The present lecture mainly discusses the structural and luminescence properties of lanthanide ions doped inorganic materials having nano size dimensions. Due to their nanosize dimensions and associated reduction in the extent of optical scattering, such materials can be incorporated in polymers or glasses. Composites consisting of luminescent nanoparticles dispersed in a polymer matrix possess properties like good processability, desirable mechanical properties, high luminescence efficiency and long-term chemical stability. In this lecture luminescence properties of a variety of inorganic matrices having nanosize dimensions varying from oxides (GaOOH, Ga2O3, BaSnO3, Sb2O3), phosphates (SbPO4, BiPO4, GaPO4), gallate (ZnGa2O4) to tungstates (CaWO4, SrWO4, BaWO4) doped with lanthanide ions will be discussed. Choice of the materials has been made by considering the environment around the cation which would be substituted by incoming lanthanide ion, phonon energy of the lattice and luminescent character of the host. Some of the materials have been incorporated into sol-gel and polymer films with a view to make luminescent films for different applications. (author)