Promising Er 3+ -Mo 6+ Co-doped Yb 3 Al 5 O 12 Electrospun Nanofibers for Optical Temperature Sensing

Abstract One-dimensional (1D) Er³⁺-Mo⁶⁺ co-doped Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ nanofibers with diameters ranging from 90-120nm were synthesized using the electrospinning technology followed by thermolysis. The detected green and red signals in the up-conversion emission spectra under 980 nm laser excitation are due to the radiative transitions (²H11/2, ⁴S3/2)-⁴I15/2 and ⁴F9/2-⁴I15/2 of Er ions, respectively. Er³⁺-Mo⁶⁺ co-doped Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ nanofibers have the characteristics of porosity, three dimensional braidability and high specific surface area, which improves the performance of optical temperature sensing. Furthermore, the optical temperature sensing performance are evaluated according to fluorescence intensity ratio of the transition emission ²H11/2-⁴I15/2 and ⁴S3/2-⁴I15/2. The maximum relative sensitivity and absolute sensitivities are 1.1% K⁻ ¹ and 17.41×10⁻ ³K⁻ ¹ for Er³⁺-Mo⁶⁺ co-doped Yb₃Al₅O₁₂ nanofibers, which indicates that the nanofibers have good thermal sensitivity. 1D nanostructure rare earth ion-doped phosphors were proven to obtain excellent up-conversion luminescence properties, which provides a new route for the development of sensitive optical temperature-sensing materials.