Suppressing the visible luminescence in GdF3:ErF3 nanoparticles with intermediate magnetic fields

Highlights: • The UCL in GdF₃:Er³⁺ nanoparticles is magnetically suppressed by nearly two orders of magnitude at room temperature. • Magnetic field (MF) suppressed absorption of the excitation laser is mainly responsible for the decreased luminescence. • Structural probe with GdF₃:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles shows a MF of ~1 T can cause the site symmetry change in the nanocrystals. • The sample is suitable for locally and optically sensing of intermediate MFs with high field-resolution. Nearly two orders of magnitude decrease of the visible emission of GdF₃:ErF₃ nanoparticles under 797 nm laser excitation is experimentally observed with an external magnetic field (MF) up to about 1.3 T at room temperature. Transmission measurement of the excitation laser indicates that the MF induced luminescence suppression in the prepared nanoparticles is mainly due to the decreased absorption of the excitation photons. This ultrahigh luminescence sensitivity to MF is rather suitable for locally and optically sensing of intermediate MFs in nanoscale volumes with high field-resolution and can find practical applications in other related areas.