Contentslistsavailableat ScienceDirect CeramicsInternational journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/ceramint Near-infraredluminescentpropertiesofLn:LaGdZr 2 O 7 (Ln=Nd,Yb) transparentceramicsforsolid-statelaserapplications ZheTang a,b ,WeiHan a,b ,ZhangyiHuang a,c ,JianqiQi a,c,∗ ,YutongZhang a,b ,JunkunYi a , JihaiYuan a ,TiechengLu a,b,c,∗∗ a College of Physics, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, PR China b Key Laboratory of High Energy Density Physics of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, Sichuan, PR China c Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology of Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, Sichuan, PR China ARTICLEINFO Keywords: Ln:LaGdZr 2 O 7 (Ln=Nd Yb) Transparentceramics Near-infraredluminescence Solid-statelaser ABSTRACT Via a facile solid reactive method, transparent Ln 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 (Ln = Nd, Yb) ceramics were successfully fabricated for the frst time. The highest in-line transmittances of Nd:LaGdZr 2 O 7 and Yb:LaGdZr 2 O 7 ceramics reached68%and69%,respectively,at1100nm.ThemicrostructureandcrystalstructureofLn 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 transparentceramicswerefullyinvestigated,indicatingthatthesolidreactivetechniqueisagoodmethodof industrially fabricating Ln 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 transparent ceramics. The PL spectra demonstrated that Ln 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 ceramicscanefectivelybeexcitedat808nmand976nm,whichcorrelateswiththewidely appliedoutputwavelengthsofAlGaAsandInGaAslaserdiodes.Theluminescencedecaycurveswerealsostu- died,showingthattheaveragefuorescencelifetimesofNd 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 andYb 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 transparent ceramics was 355 μs and 663 μs, respectively. Combined with its high temperature resistance and good me- chanicalstrength,Ln 0.1 La 0.9 GdZr 2 O 7 (Ln=Nd,Yb)transparentceramicscanhavepotentialapplicationsinNd/ Ybsolid-statelaserconstruction. 1. Introduction Since Ikesue et al. fabricated the frst high optical quality Nd:YAG transparent ceramic for solid-state lasers, increasing attention has been paid to transparent ceramics as a new laser host material [1–6]. Com- paredtoconventionallaserhostssuchasglassesandcrystals,transparent ceramics have unique advantages. They are diverse and fexible for ceramicshaping.Unlikeotherhosts,acompositestructurewithdiferent amountsofdopingcanbeeasilyfabricatedusingvariousmethods(such asdry-pressing,molding,gelcasting,tapecasting,etc.)[7].Inaddition, without the restriction of a segregation coefcient, the doping con- centration of rare earth ions has been substantially increased. Ikesue etal.successfullyfabricatedYbdopedYAGtransparentceramicswitha highamountof10at%Yb[8].Transparentceramicsalsohaveexcellent thermalmechanicalproperties,outstandinghomogeneousdistributionof rare earth ions, and facile fabrication of large-sized components [6,9–12]. The optical properties and laser performance of transparent ceramicshavebeendemonstratedtobeequivalenttoorevenbetterthan thoseofsinglecrystals[7,13].Therefore,transparentceramicsarepro- misingcandidatesinsolid-statelaserapplications. Transparent LaGdZr 2 O 7 ceramics with a pyrochlore structure are considered an attractive optical material in scintillator host materials and laser hosts due to their high refractive index, high temperature resistance, and good mechanical strength [14–16]. The fuorescence properties of rare earth elements are mainly based on their electron transitions, and their luminescence almost covers the whole range of solidluminescencefromultraviolettoinfraredlight[17–19].Astwoof the most common emitting rare earth elements, Nd 3+ ionsandYb 3+ ionsarewidelyusedinhighenergyinfraredlasersystems[20–22].Due toitstypicalfour-levelstructure,Nd 3+ hasthesignifcantadvantageof substantial large absorption and minimized pump threshold in laser applications[21].Withitssimpletwoenergylevelelectronicstructure, thereisnoexcited-stateabsorption,concentration,quenchingup-con- version,andcross-relaxationinYb 3+ basedmaterials[23,24].Withthe recentdevelopmentofAlGaAsandInGaAslaserdiodes,Nd 3+ andYb 3+ solid-statematerialshaveattractedmoreinteresttoproducehighef- ciency, high power diode-pumped solid state lasers. However, com- paredwithwidereportsonLn(Ln=Nd,Yb)dopedYAGtransparent ceramicsandasanA 2 B 2 O 7 compound, LaGdZr 2 O 7 hasmoreZatoms and greater density and has diferent crystal felds based on its https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.05.305 Received19March2020;Receivedinrevisedform29May2020;Accepted29May2020 ∗ Correspondingauthor.CollegeofPhysics,SichuanUniversity,Chengdu,610064,PRChina. ∗∗ Correspondingauthor.CollegeofPhysics,SichuanUniversity,Chengdu,610064,PRChina. E-mail address: qijianqi@scu.edu.cn (J.Qi). Ceramics International xxx (xxxx) xxx–xxx 0272-8842/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved. Please cite this article as: Zhe Tang, et al., Ceramics International, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceramint.2020.05.305