Upconversion luminescence and favorable temperature sensing performance of eulytite-type Sr3Y(PO4)3:Yb3+/Ln3+ phosphors (Ln=Ho, Er, Tm).

Phase-pure eulytite-type Sr3Y0.88(PO4)3:0.10Yb3+,0.02Ln3+ upconversion (UC) phosphors (Ln = Ho, Er, Tm) were synthesized via gel-combustion and subsequent calcination at 1250°C. Their UC luminescence, temperature-dependent fluorescence intensity ratio of thermally and/or non-thermally coupled energy levels, and performance of optical temperature sensing were systematically investigated. The phosphors typically exhibit green, orange-red and blue luminescence under 978 nm NIR laser excitation for Ln = Er, Ho and Tm, respectively, which were discussed from two- and three-photon processes. The 524 nm green (Er3+), 657 nm red (Ho3+) and 476 nm blue (Tm3+) main emissions were analyzed to have average decay times of ~52 ± 2, 260.6 ± 0.7 and 117 ± 1 μs, respectively. It was shown that (1) the Er3+ doped phosphor has a better overall performance of temperature sensing with thermally coupled 2H11/2 and 4S3/2 energy levels, whose maximum absolute (S A) and relative (SR ) sensitivities are ~5.07 × 10-3 K-1 at 523 K and ~1.16% at 298 K, respectively; (2) the Ho3+ doped phosphor shows maximum S A and SR values of ~0.019 K-1 (298-573 K) and 0.42% at 573 K for the non-thermally coupled energy pairs of 5F5/(5F4,5S2) and 5I4/5F5, respectively; (3) the Tm3+ doped phosphor has a maximum S A of ~12.74 × 10-3 K-1 at 573 K for the non-thermally coupled 3F2,3/1G4 energy levels and a maximum SR of ~1.74% K-1 at 298 K for the thermally coupled 3F2,3/3H4 levels. Advantages of the current phosphors in optical temperature sensing were also revealed by comparing with other typical UC phosphors.