R&D: Reversible Upconversion Modulation in New Photochromic SrBi2Nb2O9 Based Ceramics for Optical Storage and Anti-Counterfeiting Applications

Journal of the European Ceramic Society has published an article written by Tong Wei, Bing Jia, Linghui Shen, College of Science, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China, Chuanzhen Zhao, School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Tiangong University, Tianjin 300160, China, Liwei Wu, Bin Zhang, Xin Tao, Shengcheng Wu, and Yue Liang, College of Science, Civil Aviation University of China, Tianjin 300300, China.

Abstract: “The manipulation of luminescence properties of upconversion (UC) materials from micro to macro aspects is of vital importance for disclosing new physical phenomena and expanding the range of applications. In this work, a novel class of SrBi₂Nb₂O₉ (SBN)-based inorganic photochromic (PC) phosphors was synthesized, which exhibited intense susceptibility to visible light irradiation. Large reversible UC modulation ability upon PC effect was realized. Besides, the regulation of UC luminescence was discovered to strongly rely on the irradiation time and heating processes. The mechanisms connected to the UC luminescence, PC effect, and UC manipulation were illustrated. These results demonstrated that SBN-based samples owing high reversible manipulation ratio, fast response, low heating temperature, and excellent reproducibility can be employed as a type of ideal optical medium for future information storage device. In addition, based on the reversible behavior of photochromism, the application of the SBN-based ceramic as an anti-counterfeiting agent was also depicted.“