Novel strategy for the enhancement of anti-counterfeiting ability of photochromic ceramics: Sm3+ doped KSr2Nb5O15 textured ceramics with anisotropic luminescence modulation behavior

Abstract Sm3+ doped KSr2Nb5O15 (KSN-Sm) textured ceramics with anisotropic photochromic and luminescence modulation behaviors provided a new strategy for the enhancement of anti-counterfeiting ability. The KSN-Sm textured ceramics were fabricated by the tape casting technology, which exhibited obvious grain-orientation, with Lotgering factor f(00l) of 0.62. The textured sample possessed evident difference of reflectivity, photochromic, luminescent and luminescence modulation properties among various grain-orientated directions. The difference of luminescent emission intensity was over than 30% and the luminescence modulation ratios △Rt are 75.3% and 63.3% along paralleled and vertical [00l] orientations, respectively. These optical anisotropies were attributed to the different refractive indexes, distributions of photochromic centers and energy transfer rates at various orientations. This work is hopeful to achieve the multidirectional data recording and enhancement of anti-counterfeiting ability of photochromic ceramics by the anisotropic properties of textured ceramics.