Photonic Bandgap and Photoluminescence in TbPO ₄ Inverse Opal with Coexistence of the (001) and (111) Orientations

Abstract

Inverse opal photonic crystals of TbPO 4 with coexisting (001) and (111) orientations were prepared by the self‐assembly technique in combination with a sol–gel method. Optical and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the (001) and (111) orientation regions were investigated in TbPO 4 inverse opals. It was found that the photonic bandgap along the (001) orientation shifted to shorter wavelengths compared with that of the (111) orientation in the inverse opals. The effect of the photonic bandgap on the spontaneous emission of the 5 D 4 → 7 F n transitions of Tb 3+ was observed in the TbPO 4 inverse opals. Significant suppression of the emission was detected if the photonic bandgap overlapped with the Tb 3+ ions emission band.