Enhanced thermometry parameters in Er3+-doped zinc tellurite glasses containing silver nanoparticles

Luminescence-based thermometers have been widely investigated due to their exciting applications in science and technology. Rare-earth ions doped materials are among the potential candidates for such means, although their thermal sensitivity still needs improvement. This work aims to investigate the effect of the silver nanoparticles (SNPs) on the luminescence thermometry parameters of Er3+ ions doped zinc tellurite glasses. The formation of SNPs with an average diameter of about 12 nm was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. The presence of SNPs intensifies the up-conversion luminescence of Er3+ ions observed at 537 nm, 557 nm, and 670 nm and the lifetime of 4S3/2 level from 25.1 µs to 38.8 µs. When co-doped with SNPs, the maximum absolute thermal sensitivity obtained for thermally coupled levels was 2.79 × 10−3 K−1 at 446 K, 44% higher than for Ag-free sample (1.94 × 10−3 K−1 at 446 K), suggesting the investigated materials for potential applications as the optical thermometer. These results are discussed in detail.