Sb3+ co-doped Cs3EuCl6: Tb3+ nanocrystals: Luminescence enhancement and temperature sensing performance

Zero-dimensional rare-earth halide Cs 3 EuCl 6 : Tb 3+ , Sb 3+ nanocrystals (NCs) were successfully synthesized via a facile heating method. Their optical temperature sensing properties are systematically investigated. By virtue of the efficient energy transfer of Tb 3+ →Eu 3+ and the reduction in site symmetry of luminescent centers at high temperature, the emission peaks of Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ show different temperature response. Based on this, an optical thermometry system based on the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) is constructed. The maximum relative sensitivity of Cs 3 EuCl 6 : 40%Tb 3+ NCs reaches 1.301%·K −1 . Further introduction of Sb 3+ co-doping not only remarkably enhances the luminescence intensity of the material, but also raises the maximum relative sensitivity to 1.32%·K −1 . This work confirms that Cs 3 EuCl 6 : Tb 3+ , Sb 3+ NCs are high-performance optical temperature sensing materials with promising application prospects.