Enhancement of near-infrared to near-infrared upconversion emission in the CeO_2: Er^3+, Tm^3+, Yb^3+ inverse opals

Abstract

In this Letter, CeO₂: Er³⁺, Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺ inverse opal with near-infrared to near-infrared upconversion emission was prepared by polystyrene colloidal crystal templates, and the influence of photonic bandgap on the upconversion emission was investigated. Comparing with the reference sample, suppression of the blue or red upconversion luminescence was observed in the inverse opals. It is interesting that the near-infrared upconversion emission located at about 803 nm was enhanced due to the inhibition of visible upconversion emission in the inverse opals. Additionally, the variety of upconversion emission mechanisms was observed and discussed in the CeO₂: Er³⁺, Tm³⁺, Yb³⁺ inverse opals.