The effects of K/Na ratios on photochromic and luminescent behaviors in (K,Na)NbO3 ferroelectrics
摘要
Inorganic photochromic materials have attracted more attention due to their high chemical and thermal stability, and excellent fatigue resistance, showing potential applications in optical storage fields. However, it is not clear to the underlying mechanism of photochromic reaction in inorganic materials. Here, Eu3+ doped KxNa1-xNbO3 ferroelectric materials were fabricated by the conventional solid-state method. The photochromic properties can be effectively modulated by tuning oxygen vacancy concentrations through adjusting K/Na ratios, showing strong defect-dependent behavior. With increasing K+ content (x = 0.9) in NaNbO3 host, the photochromic efficiency significantly increases from 12.94% to 32.78%, accompanied by larger luminescent contrast (84.69%). XPS and EPR results further prove the relationship between oxygen vacancy defects and photochromic reactions, which would be conducive to design and develop high-performance photochromic materials.