Lanthanide doped fluorosilicate glass-ceramics: A review on experimental and theoretical progresses

Significant developments have been made in the past few decades for lanthanide (Ln) ions doped fluorosilicate glass-ceramics (Flusi-GCs). As novel generation of luminescence materials with a wide range of applications, Flusi-GCs as a single host combine the advantages of glass and ceramics/crystals as well as fluorides and silicates. In this review, the chemical design principles and experimental procedures of Flusi-GCs are summarized in detail. Flusi-GCs are categorized as those containing PbxCd1–xF2, RF3 (R = Y, La, Gd), MF2 (M = Ca, Sr, Ba), xMF2–yRF3 (R = Y, La–Lu), mAF-nRF3 (A = Li, Na, K), KTF3 (T = Zn, Mn) and K2SiF6 nanocrystals (NCs). Theoretical breakthroughs mainly by molecular dynamic (MD) simulation have been recapitulated as efficient routes for composition-design, nano-crystallization-prediction, and performance-optimization of Flusi-GCs containing target fluoride NCs. Essential research progresses pertaining photonic applications have been made in random lasers, communication amplifiers, optical fibers, spectral converters, white light-emitting-diodes (WLEDs), and thermal sensors. In the end, we propose three future research directions for Flusi-GCs.