Synthesis and photoluminescence properties of ZnTiO3:Eu3+ red phosphors via sol-gel method

ZnTiO3:Eu3+ phosphors were synthesized with different concentrations of Eu3+ doping through sol-gel method. The samples were calcined at different temperatures for 2 h in air. The synthesized powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy(SEM-EDS), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The XRD results showed that the Zn Ti O3:Eu3+ phosphors doped with different concentrations of Eu3+ ions calcined at 600 oC were of single phase, which indicated that the Eu3+ ions had been successfully incorporated into the Zn Ti O3 host lattice and did not destroy the lattice structure of Zn Ti O3 host. The Raman spectrum, SEM and TEM also proved that the doping of Eu3+ did not change the lattice structure of hexagonal Zn Ti O3 host. The photoluminescence(PL) of Eu3+ ions with the main emission peak at 614 nm was observed to increase with Eu3+ concentrations from 0.5 mol.% to 2.0 mol.% and decreased when the concentration was increased to 2.5 mol.%. The decrease in the PL intensity at higher Eu3+ concentrations could be associated with concentration quenching effect. The CIE1931 chromaticity diagram(x, y) of Zn Ti O3:2.0 wt.%Eu3+ phosphors were located in the red region(x=0.652, y=0.347). The luminescence properties suggested that Zn Ti O3:Eu3+ phosphors might be regarded as a potential red phosphor candidate for light emitting diodes(LEDs).     

Photoluminescence properties of Ce3+ doped YSiO2N blue-emitting phosphors

Oxonitridosilicate phosphors with compositions of Y 1-x Ce x SiO 2 N (x=0-0.1) were synthesized by a new synthetic route based on a solid state reaction among YSi, CeSi, SiO 2 and Y 2 O 3 compounds at high temperature and high pressure. The photoluminescence properties dependent on Ce concentration and temperature were investigated. Concentration quenching occurred when the doped Ce 3+ concentration was more than 3 mol.%. The emission spectra showed red shifts from 430 to 447 nm with the increased Ce concentration from 0.5 mol.% to 10 mol.%. The quenching temperature was estimated as ～380 K. The chromaticity coordinates of the excitation and emission spectra were stable against the temperature. This study showed these YSiO 2 N:Ce 3+ phosphors the potential applications in the three-RGB phosphor-converted white LEDs.     

Effect of SiN substituting for AI-O bonds on luminescence properties of Sr3AIO4F：Ce3＋ phosphor

Cerium-doped Sr3（A11-x,Six）O4-xNxF oxynitride phosphors with different x values were synthesized by solid-state reaction. The structure and optical properties of these phosphors were investigated by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, energy dispersive spectroscopy （EDS） and photoluminescence （PL） spectra. The XRD results showed that SiN substitution for Al-O） did not change the structure of Sr3A104F host and there was no impurity for x〈0.6. With the increasing ofx values, the absorption of phosphors at the blue region was enhanced and the emitting band varied from 519 to 529 nm under the 460 nm blue light excitation. The red shift of the emission band was associated with an increase in the crystal-field splitting and the covalence, which arose from the incorporation of N. More- over, the incorporation of N also improved the thermal quenching properties and the external quantum efficiency with a maximum value up to 43.3%, indicating that this phosphor is a promising candidate for white LEDs application.     

Luminescent properties and energy transfer mechanism from Tb~(3+) to Eu~(3+) in CaMoO_4:Tb~(3+),Eu~(3+) phosphors

A series of CaMoO_4:Tb~(3+),Eu~(3+) phosphors were prepared by the method of precipitation. The structure and morphology of the phosphors were characterized by the X-ray diffraction(XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM). The photoluminescence properties of the prepared products were researched, and the energy transfer from Tb~(3+) to Eu~(3+) in CaMoO_4 phosphors was studied. By adjusting the doping concentration of Eu~(3+) ions in CaMoO_4:Tb~(3+),Eu~(3+) phosphors, the emitting color of the phosphors could be easily tuned from green to red. With Tb~(3+) doped in the phosphors, the red luminescence of Eu~(3+) by near UV excitation was significantly enhanced. The energy transfer efficiency, rate and average distance between Tb~(3+) and Eu~(3+) in CaMoO_4:5%Tb~(3+),x%Eu~(3+)(mole percent) phosphors(x=0.3–10) were calculated. It was found that the interaction type between Tb~(3+) and Eu~(3+) was electric dipole-dipole interaction in the phosphors.     

Synthesis and luminescent properties of Ba_2V_2O_7:Sm~(3+)

Samarium doped pyrovanadate Ba_2V_2O_7:Sm~(3+) phosphors were synthesized by traditional high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The phase and the structure of the samples were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction(XRD), and the luminescent properties and the energy transfer mechanism of the material were investigated using quantitative photoluminescence(PL) spectroscopy. The excitation spectrum of the sample exhibited a broad ultraviolet(UV) band with maximum at around 341 nm due to V–O charge transfer transition of the host. The emission spectrum displayed a yellow-greenish broadband(peaking at around 498 nm) coming from the host Ba_2V_2O_7 and three narrow peaks(at 561, 599 and 646 nm) attributed to the dopant Sm~(3+) ions. The PL spectra revealed the energy transfer from the host to the Sm~(3+) ions. In addition, the color coordinates and the color temperature of the phosphor Ba_(1.95)V_2O_7:5%Sm~(3+) were(0.314, 0.365) and 6135 K, respectively, under 365 nm excitation, suggesting it to be a candidate of single-phase converting phosphors for white-light-emitting diodes(WLEDs) with near-UV chips.     

Luminescence properties of Mn2） ions doped Lu2CaMg2Si3O1） garnet phosphors

Yttrium aluminum garnet structure phosphors Lu2CaMg2Si3O12:Mn2+ were synthesized by conventional high temperature solid-state reaction in reductive atmosphere. The structure and optical properties of samples were characterized by application of powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence spectroscopy. Results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis showed that the phosphors mainly presented garnet structure with a few weak peaks of impurity phases. Lu2-xCaMg2Si3O12:xMn2+ (x=0.01-0.8) phosphors showed a broad emission band peaking at around 590 nm under ultraviolet (UV) light of 408 nm when Mn2+ concentration was less than 0.08 mol. With an increase in the Mn2+ concentration (above 0.08), another broad emission band peaking at 720 nm besides 590 nm was observed, which may be due to manganese ion having different valence and occupying different host lattice. The critical quenching concentrations of manganese ion in the wavelength of 590 and 720 nm were about 0.06 and 0.2 mol, respectively. With 408 nm excitation wavelength, emission color of the samples had a red shift trend as the Mn2+ concentration increased. All the results indicated that the Lu2CaMg2Si3O12:Mn2+ phosphors could be applicable to n-UV based white LEDs.     

Influence of reaction parameters on the luminescence properties of monodisperse NaGd(1−x−y)(WO4)2:xEu3+,yTb3+ phosphor by molten salt synthesis

Eu~(3+) activated and Eu~(3+), Tb~(3+) co-activated monodisperse sodium double tungstates NaGd(WO4)2 phosphors were prepared by molten salt method at 750 ℃ for 10 h using NaCl as a flux. The crystal structure and morphology of the as-synthesized phosphors were measured by XRD and SEM, respectively. The photoluminescence properties were characterized by PL spectra, decay lifetime and CIE. The presence of NaCl plays an important role in the morphology and luminescence properties. In this work,NaCl and one of the raw material Na_2 CO_3 in a certain proportion will form a low eutectic salt to decrease the reaction temperature and benefit the formation of monodisperse NaGd(WO_4)_2 crystals. The color of Eu~(3+) and Tb~(3+) co-doped NaGd(WO_4)_2 phosphors can be tuned from creamy white to orange, red and green by adjusting the doping concentration of rare earth ions, since the emission contain the broad blue-green emission origin from NaGd(WO_4)_2 host and characteristic red and green emission origin from Eu~(3+) and Tb~(3+) ions. The electroluminescent spectra and CIE measurement shows that the LED device with NaGd_((1-x))(WO_4)_2:xEu~(3+)(x = 0.24) phosphor can be excited by 365 nm and 380 nm LED chip, and their CIE coordinate is(x = 0.45, y = 0.45) and(x = 0.36, y = 0.37), Ra is 80.3 and 86.3, T_c is 3196 and4556 K, respectively. As a single-component phosphor, NaGd(WO_4)_2:Eu~(3+),Tb~(3+) have potential application in UV-pumped WLEDs.     

Synthesis and characterization of CaAl_xO_y:Eu²⁺ phosphors prepared using solution-combustion method

Europium-doped calcium aluminate(CaAlxOy:Eu2+) phosphors were obtained at low temperatures(500 oC) by the solution-combustion of corresponding metal nitrate-urea solution mixtures.The particle size and morphology and the structural and luminescent properties of the as-synthesized phosphors were examined by means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),Auger spectroscopy,transmission electron spectroscopy(TEM) and photoluminescence(PL).It was found that the Ca:Al molar ratios showed greatly influence not only on the particle size and morphology,but also on their PL spectra and structure.With the Ca:Al molar ratios increasing from 6:100 to 26:100,the structure of as-synthesized phosphor changed from CaAl12O19 to monoclinic CaAl2O4 and the dominant emitting light from red to blue,implying that the oxidation state of doped europium ions changed from trivalent to divalent due to the structure variation of host lattice.A blue phosphor with almost pure phase can be easily prepared by solution combustion method with suitable Ca:Al molar ratio.     

Photoluminescence properties of Tb3+ and Ce3+ co-doped Sr2MgSi2O7 phosphors for solid-state lighting

Sr2Mg Si2O7:Tb3+,Ce3+ phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction and placed in a muffle furnace in a reducing atmosphere at 1300 oC for 3 h. Photoluminescence properties and energy transfer were investigated. The Ce3+/Tb3+ energy transfer was thoroughly investigated by their emission/excitation spectra and photoluminescence lifetime, there was shortened lifetime of Ce3+(from 51.31 to 50.06 ns) which could support evidence of energy transfer from Ce3+ to Tb3+ in the host. The varied emitted color of Sr1.97–yMg Si2O7:0.03Tb3+,y Ce3+ phosphors could be achieved by altering the concentration of Ce3+, the chromaticity coordinates(x, y) varied from(0.225, 0.376) to(0.172, 0.231). In Sr1.96 Mg Si2O7:0.03Tb3+,0.01 Ce3+ phosphors, the results indicated that Sr2 Mg Si2O7:Tb3+,Ce3+ might be useful as tunable phosphors for ultraviolet white-light-emitting diodes.     

Preparation and Luminescent Properties of BAM Blue Phosphor forPDP and CCFL

The Bax-0.05MgAl10O16 x :Eu0.05^2 (0.88≤ x≤ 1.02) phosphors with different Ba^2 content and the Ba0.85MgAl10O16.94:Eu0.05^2 phosphors with different fluxes (BaF2, MgF2, AlF3, BaCl2, MgCl2, AlCl3, H3BO3)were prepared by high temperature solid-state reaction method and their luminescence characteristics were studied under 254 nm excitation and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) excitation. With the increase of the Ba^2 content, there is an increase in the emission intensity, and when x = 0.94, it reaches a maximum. Then, as the Ba^2 content increases, the emission intensity slowly falls. The fluorides have better flux-effects than chlorides and H3BO3. The possible mechanism in the process of particle growth was discussed when fluorides were used as fluxes. The effect of the activator concentration on this system was also investigated. The quenching concentration is 0.13 mol in per mole host.     

Effects of crystal field on photoluminescence properties of Ca2Al2SiO7:Eu2+ phosphors

A series of single-phased Ca₂Al₂SiO₇:Eu²⁺ phosphors were synthesized by the solid-state reaction. Their structure and photolumi-nescence properties were investigated by the X-ray powder diffraction （XRD） and excitation and emission spectra in detail. The emission spectra of Ca₂Al₂SiO₇:Eu²⁺ phosphors consisted of blue and green band located at419 and542 nm, respectively. The relative intensities of the blue and green emission changed with Eu²⁺ concentration and were sensitive to the excitation wavelength. The unique photoluminescence property originated from the 4f⁷→4f⁶5d transition of Eu²+ at different energy levels, on which the effect of the crystal field strength was con-sidered to be tailed by adjusting the host composition.     

Hydrothermal synthesis,structure study and luminescent properties of YbPO₄:Tb³⁺ nanoparticles

YbPO4:Tb3+ were synthesized by mild hydrothermal method.The luminescent properties,morphologies and structure of the obtained powders were characterized by photoluminescence(PL) spectra,FESEM,X-ray diffractometer(XRD) and FTIR.The results showed that the prepared YbPO4:Tb3+ nanoparticles were pure tetragonal phase and the average grain size varied with increasing of Tb3+ concentration.Hydrothermal temperature was revealed to be the key factor to enhance the emission intensity of YbPO4:Tb3+ phosphors.The spherical nanoparticles could be effectively excited by near UV(369 nm) light and exhibited green performance at 543 nm(5D4→7F5),489 nm(5D4→7F6) and 586 nm(5D4→7F4).The CIE chromaticity was calculated to be x=0.298,y=0.560.The YbPO4:Tb3+ nanoparticles exhibited potential to act as UV absorber for solar cells to enhance the conversion efficiency.     

Combustion synthesis,characterization and luminescence properties of barium aluminate phosphor

The blue-green emitting Eu2+ and Nd3+ doped polycrystalline barium aluminate(BaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+) phosphor, was prepared by a solution-combustion method at 500 oC without a post-annealing process. The characteristic variation in the structural and luminescence properties of the as-prepared samples was evaluated with regards to a change in the Ba/Al molar ratio from 0.1:1 to 1.4:1. The morphologies and the phase structures of the products were characterized by scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), while the optical properties were investigated using ultra-violet(UV) and photoluminescence(PL) spectroscopy, respectively. The XRD and TEM results revealed that the average crystallite size of the BaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+ phosphor was about 70 nm. The broad-band UV-excited luminescence of the phosphors was observed at λmax=500 nm due to transitions from the 4f65d1 to the 4f7 configuration of the Eu2+ ion. The PL results indicated that the main peaks in the emission and excitation spectrum of phosphor particles slightly shifted to the short wavelength due to the changes in the crystal field due to the structure changes caused by the variation in the quantity of the Ba ions in the host lattice.     

Synthesis and spectral characteristics of La2MoO6：Ln3＋ （Ln=Eu, Sm, Dy, Pr, Tb） polycrystals

The novel phosphors of La 2 MoO 6 activated with the trivalent rare earth Ln 3+ (Ln=Eu, Sm, Dy, Pr, Tb) ions were synthesized by solid state reactions at high temperature in air atmosphere, and their phase impurities and luminescent properties were studied. The photoluminescence (PL) excitation and emission spectra, and decay curves were employed to study their luminescence properties. The lifetimes of the characteristic emissions from Ln 3+ ions were in the order of millisecond except Pr 3+ ions. (LaEu 1-x ) 2 MoO 6 was a promising phosphor for practical application and the optimum concentration was x=0.075. The concentration quenching mechanism of Eu 3+ was also discussed by theoretical fitting using Burshtein model.     

EXAFS investigation and luminescent properties of nanosized Tb: Lu2O3 phosphors

Nanosized terbium doped Lu2O3 phosphors were synthesized via a modified co-precipitation processing.The as-prepared Tb:Lu2O3 phosphors was consisted of well crystallized nanosized sphere particles with a diameter of about 30 nnx Local structure of Tb ions in Lu2O3 lattice was investigated by an analytical approach based on Fourier transformation of the extended X-ray absorption fine structure(EXAFS) data.X-ray near edge structure (XANES) spectra suggested that all Tb ions doped were tervalonce.EXAFS results indicated that Tb ions have entered the Lu2O3 cubic lattice by means of solid solution.The coordination number and first shell Tb-O distance dropped with the increasing of Tb concentration.Emission spectra of the phosphors was shown to be typical for Tb3+ with main components at 542,550 and 490 nm,derived from irradiative relaxation of 5D4 level.The emission intensity decreased severely with the increasing of Tb concentration from 1 mol.% to 15 tool.%,suggesting a significant concentration quenching above 1 mol.% Tb.The reduction of emission intensity was interpreted by higher distortion derived relaxation among the surface state resident Tb3+ ions.     

Efficient near-infrared quantum cutting in Tb~(3+),Yb~(3+) codoped LuPO_4 phosphors

Tb~(3+) and Yb~(3+) codoped LuPO_4 phosphors were prepared by the reverse-strike co-precipitation method.The obtained LuPO_4:Tb~(3+),Yb~(3+) phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),photoluminescence(PL) spectra and decay kinetics to understand the near-infrared quantum cutting(QC) phenomena.The XRD results showed that all the phosphors exhibited good crystallinity and had a pure tetragonal phase of LuPO_4.The experimental results showed that the strong green emission around 545 nm from Tb~(3+)(~5D_4→~7F_5) and near-infrared(NIR) emission at 1003 nm from Yb~(3+)(~2F_(5/2)→~2F_(7/2)) of LuPO_4:Tb~(3+),Yb~(3+)phosphors were observed under 489 nm excitation,respectively.The Yb~(3+) concentration dependence on luminescent properties and lifetimes of both the visible and NIR emissions were also investigated.The quenching concentration of Yb~(3+) ions approached as high as 10 mol.%.The excellent luminescence properties of the LuPO_4:Tb~(3+),Yb~(3+) indicated its potential application in improving the energy conversion efficiency of the silicon based solar cells by converting one blue photon to two NIR ones.     

Structural and photoluminescence studies of Eu3+ doped zinc oxide nanorods prepared by precipitation method

Trivalent europium doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Eu3+) nanocrystals were synthesized via room temperature chemical co-precipitation and they were systematically characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The as-synthesized samples were found to have hexagonal wurtzite coexisted with the intermediate Zn5(OH)8Cl2·H2O phase, while the single hexagonal phase was facilitated due to the calcinations. The as obtained samples were broadly composed of nanoflakes while the highly crystalline nanorods were formed due to low temperature annealing of the as-synthesized samples. The crystallite size of the nanoflakes and nanorods (40-90 nm) were extracted from the XRD pattern which was found to be consistent with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The photolumi-nescence (PL) spectra of nanophosphors showed bright red and orange emissions at 618 and 594 nm respectively with efficient broad blue green emission spectrum due to ZnO lattice. Further, a good energy transfer process from ZnO host to Eu3+ was observed in PL emission and excitation spectra of Eu3+ doped ZnO ions. In all, the present nanophosphors were found to have great potentiality for bio-applications.     

Citrate sol-gel combustion preparation and photoluminescence properties of YAG:Ce phosphors

Yellow-emitting YAG:Ce3+ nanocrystalline phosphors were prepared by citrate sol-gel combustion method using citric acid as the fuel and chelating agent. The influence of mole ratio of citric acid to metallic ions (MRCM), pH value of the solution, calcination temperature and Ce-doped concentration on the structures and properties of as-prepared powders were investigated in detail. Higher crystallinity and better luminescence performance powders were obtained at MRCM=2, pH=3 and the calcination temperature of 1200 °C. The phosphors exhibited the characteristic broadband visible luminescence of YAG:Ce. The optimum concentration of Ce3+ was 1.0 mol.%, and the concentration quenching was derived from the reciprocity between electric dipole and electric quadrupole (d-q). Especially, the pH value of the solution was a key factor to obtain a stable sol-gel system and then obtain pure and homogeneous rare earth ions doped YAG phosphors at a lower tem-perature. The Y3Al5O12:Ce0.03 phosphor with optimized synthesis-condition and composition had a similar luminescence intensity with the commercial phosphor YAG:Ce.     

Photoluminescence characterization and energy transfer of NaBa1-x-yPO4：xCe3＋, yTb3＋ phosphors

A series of NaBa1-x-yPO4: xCe3+, yTb3+ phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure, photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra and decay times of the phosphors were carefully investigated. The results revealed that an efficient energy transfer occurred from Ce3+ to Tb3+ ions in NaBaPO4 host by means of dipole-dipole interactions and the critical distance of the energy transfer was about 0.638 nm. Moreover, the phosphor emitted strong green emission under UV excitation, indicating that the phosphors are potentially useful as a highly efficient, green-emitting phosphor.     

Tunable color emission in K3Gd（PO4）2:Tb3+,Sm3+ phosphor for n-UV white light emitting diodes

A series of K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+,Sm3+ phosphors were synthesized through solid state reaction. By co-doping Tb3+ and Sm3+into K3Gd(PO4)2 host and singly varying the doping concentration of Sm3+, tunable colors from green to yellow and then to orange were obtained in K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+,Sm3+ phosphors under the excitation at 373 nm. The energy transfer process from Tb3+ to Sm3+ was verified through luminescence spectra and fluorescence decay curves. Moreover, the energy transfer mechanism was demonstrated to be the quadrupole-quadrupole interaction. The results indicated that K3Gd(PO4)2:Tb3+,Sm3+ phosphors could be a potential application for n-UV white light emitting diodes.