Optical temperature sensing properties and thermoluminescence behavior in Er-modified potassium sodium niobate-based multifunctional ferroelectric ceramics

Abstract

The use of multifunctional materials that exhibit integration/coupling effects among different properties has recently become the research hotspot with the development of a high-tech optoelectronic technology. In this work, we report the multifunctional characteristics with upconversion luminescence, thermoluminescence, and ferroelectric properties of potassium sodium niobate (KNN)-based ferroelectric ceramics. A host KNN-based material was constructed using Er³⁺ regulation, boosting the electrical properties and activating the luminescence properties of the host. After Er³⁺ doping, the ceramics exhibited fatigue-resistant and temperature-insensitive ferroelectric/strain properties. Moreover, the Er³⁺-modified samples showed bright upconversion photoluminescence, simultaneously exhibiting thermoluminescence behavior. High-temperature sensing with a sensitivity of S = 0.0061 K⁻¹ was achieved in the sample doped with 0.5%mol Er³⁺. In addition, thermoluminescence behavior was observed in this sample, closely related to the concentration of defects inside the ceramics. As multifunctional materials, Er³⁺-doped KNN-based ferroelectrics may enable novel applications in the field of optoelectronic devices.