Temperature-dependent photoluminescence of anatase Li-doped TiO ₂ nanoparticles [Invited]

TiO ₂ is currently one of the most employed material in photocatalysis and optoelectronic applications. By doping with different elements, tailored luminescent and optoelectronic properties can be obtained, which further enhances its applicability. The achievement of deeper knowledge and control on the recombination processes via light-metal doping engineering promises a wider use in optoelectronic applications. In this work, the luminescent properties of undoped and Li-doped anatase TiO ₂ nanoparticles obtained by hydrolysis process are studied, by means of photoluminescence (PL) measurements from 10 K to room-temperature. TiO ₂ presents a wide emission which covers the visible range, while Li-doping quenches the emission on the low visible region. By terms of time-resolved luminescence (TR-PL), lifetime of the recombination processes can be obtained, in which a decrease on lifetime values can be observed for the doped samples.