Plasmon-enhanced broad-band quantum-cutting of NaBaPO4:Eu2+,Yb3+ phosphor decorated with Ag nano-particles

The NaBaPO 4 :Eu 2+ ,Yb 3+ quantum-cutting (QC) phosphors were prepared by the solid-state reaction. We confirm the luminescence of Yb 3+ is mainly derived from QC rather than common down-conversion. The QC efficiency η QE calculated from the luminescence decay curves reached a maximum as high as 197.4%. Furthermore, the QC emission was enhanced by decorating with quasi-spherical and uniform (∼100   nm) Ag nano-particles, due to localized surface plasmon resonance. The enhancement factor reached a maximum as 1.2337.