Enhanced Sunlight Excited 1‐μm Emission in Cr 3+ –Yb 3+ Codoped Transparent Glass‐Ceramics Containing Y 3 Al 5 O 12 Nanocrystals

Cr 3+ –Yb 3+ codoped transparent glass‐ceramics containing Y 3 Al 5 O 12 nanocrystals were prepared by heat treatment of as‐prepared glass sample and characterized by X‐ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. The efficient energy transfer from Cr 3+ to Yb 3+ ions through multi‐phonon‐assisted process was confirmed by the luminescence spectrum and fluorescent lifetime measurements. When excited by the lights from a solar simulator in the wavelength region of 400–800 nm, greatly enhanced near‐infrared emission around 1 μm was achieved from Cr 3+ –Yb 3+ codoped glass ceramic compared with that from as‐prepared glass and Ce 3+ –Yb 3+ codoped glass ceramic. These results demonstrate that the Cr 3+ –Yb 3+ codoped glass ceramic is a promising material for enhancement of the efficiency of solar energy utilization.