KLaF4:Nd3+ Emission in Transparent Glass-Ceramics

In this work, transparent oxyfluoride glass-ceramics (GC) containing KLaF
₄
nanocrystals doped with 0.1 and 0.5 mol% of NdF
₃
, obtained by combining melt quenching and Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS), are investigated. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and High Resolution Transmission Microscopy (HRTEM) confirm the presence of cubic ( α) and hexagonal ( β) polymorph of KLaF
₄
. Site-selective laser spectroscopy in the
⁴
I
_9/2
→
⁴
F
_5/2
transition of Nd
³⁺
performed in the GC samples confirms that Nd
³⁺
ions are incorporated in both α-KLaF4 and β-KLaF4 crystalline phases being the main contribution associated to the cubic α-KLaF4 phase.