Preparation of Ca4Mg5(PO4)6:Eu,Mn phosphor and its photoluminescence properties

Eu²⁺ and Mn²⁺ singly doped and Eu²⁺/Mn²⁺-codoped Ca₄Mg₅(PO₄)₆ phosphors were synthesized via combustion synthesis. Mn²⁺-singly doped Ca₄Mg₅(PO₄)₆ phosphor exhibits a single red emission in the wavelength range of 500–700 nm due to the ⁴T₁(⁴G)→⁶A₁(⁶S) transition of Mn²⁺. Eu²⁺/Mn²⁺ co-doped phosphor emits two distinctive luminescence bands: a blue one centered at 442 nm originating from Eu²⁺ and a broad red-emitting one peaked at 609 nm from Mn²⁺. Energy transfers from Eu²⁺ to Mn²⁺ were discovered by directly observing significant overlap of the excitation spectrum of Mn²⁺ and the emission spectrum of Eu²⁺ as well as the systematic relative decline and growth of emission bands of Eu²⁺ and Mn²⁺, respectively. Based on the principle of energy transfer, the relative intensities of blue and red emission could be tuned by adjusting the contents of Eu²⁺ and Mn²⁺.