Investigations of near IR photoluminescence properties in TiO2:Nd,Yb materials using hyperspectral imaging methods

TiO2 and TiO2:Nd,Yb films were deposited by a doctor blade deposition technique from pastes prepared by a sol–gel process, and characterized by electron microscopy and spectroscopic techniques. Near infrared (NIR) photoluminescence (PL) properties upon 808 nm excitation were also examined. The rutile TiO2:Nd,Yb samples exhibited the strongest NIR PL signal. The relationship between the morphological properties, annealing temperature and the optical behavior of TiO2:Nd,Yb films is discussed. Furthermore, the study showed that hyperspectral imaging spectroscopy can be used as a rapid and nondestructive macroscopic characterization technique for the identification of spectral features and evaluation of luminescent surfaces of oxides.