A single-phase full-color phosphor Sr2Ca2La(PO4)3O:Eu2+,Tb3+,Mn2+: Photoluminescence and energy transfer

A single-phase full-color emitting phosphor Sr₂Ca₂La(PO₄)₃O:Eu²⁺,Tb³⁺,Mn²⁺ was synthesized by the high temperature solid-state method. The phase formation, luminescence properties, thermal stability, and energy transfer from Eu²⁺ to Tb³⁺ and Eu²⁺ to Mn²⁺ in Sr₂Ca₂La(PO₄)₃O were investigated in details. Tunable emission color from blue to blueish green or orange can be observed under 365 nm near-ultraviolet excitation based on the energy transfer from Eu²⁺ to Tb³⁺ or Mn²⁺ ions by varying the ratio of Eu²⁺/Tb³⁺ or Eu²⁺/Mn²⁺ ions. White light was obtained with chromaticity coordinates of (0.3558, 0.3500) in the Sr₂Ca₂La(PO₄)₃O:0.04Eu²⁺,0.08Tb³⁺,0.40Mn²⁺ phosphor, suggesting their potential applications in white light emitting diodes.     

Tunable luminescence in co-doped Zn3Al2Ge2O10:Cr3+ by controlling crystal field splitting and nephelauxetic effect

Ce³⁺/Dy³⁺/Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺/Mn²⁺ and Cr³⁺ ions co-doped Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀ phosphor were prepared by a high-temperature solid-state method. X-ray diffraction patterns prove the cubic phase structure of prepared Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀ phosphor. Emission, excitation spectra and decay curves confirm the tunable luminescence. Different degrees of the decrease of emission FWHM in Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺,RE (RE = Ce³⁺, Dy³⁺, Tb³⁺, Eu³⁺) and Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺,Mn²⁺ are observed. The reason of variable FWHM is the effect of crystal field splitting and nephelauxetic effect, and the nephelauxetic effect is dominant. Therefore, the emission FWHM decreases with the increasing concentration of Mn²⁺/Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺ in Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺, and for Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺,Ce³⁺ and Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺,Dy³⁺, it is a constant. The variation of Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺,Tb³⁺ is more obvious than that of Zn₃Al₂Ge₂O₁₀:0.02Cr³⁺,Eu³⁺, because Tb³⁺ ion has smaller electronegativity. Thus, the tunable luminescence of Cr³⁺ can be realized by co-doping different ions. And these phosphors have potential applications in light-emitting diodes for plant growth.     

Color-tunable Ca10Na(PO4)7:Ce3+/Tb3+/Mn2+ phosphor via energy transfer

A series of Ca_(10)Na(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Mn~(2+)(CNPO:Ce~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Mn~(2+)) phosphors with high brightness were synthesized by high-temperature solid-state method. X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), diffuse reflectance spectra(DRS), photo luminescence(PL) spectra, luminescence decay curves and thermally stability were performed to characterize the as-prepared samples. For Ce~(3+)-doped samples, an intense and broad band emission is present under 265 nm excitation. When Ce~(3+) and Tb~(3+)are codoped, energy transfer(ET) process from Ce3+ to Tb3+ is demonstrated with electric dipole-dipole interaction. The internal and external quantum efficiencies(QEs) of CNPO:0.15 Ce~(3+), 0.04 Tb~(3+), 0.005 Mn~(2+)are measured to 76.79% and 54.11% under 265 nm excitation and temperature-dependent PL intensity can remain 51.78% at 150 ℃ of its initial intensity at 25 ℃. It is indicated that single-phased white lightemitting CNPO:Ce~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Mn~(2+) phosphor can serve as a promising phosphor for illumination devices.     

Luminescent properties of amorphous phosphor 1.4YeO3·2.5Al2O3·0.1Tb2O3 prepared by sol-gel method

Amorphous phosphor 1.4YeO3·2.5Al2O3·0.1Tb2O3 （the same composition as Y2.8Tb0.2Al5O12） was prepared via a sol-gel method at relatively low temperature （i.e., below 650℃）, which is much lower than that for the preparation of polycrystalline Y3Al5O12：Tb^3＋ （above 1400℃）. The amorphous phosphor prepared in the optimized conditions showed a bright green-yellowish luminescence, the intensity of which was comparable with that of polycrystalline sample and the emissions of which were assigned to 5D4 → 7Fj transitions of Tb^3＋. Besides the emissions of Tb^3＋, the amorphous samples prepared at temperatures below 500 ℃ presented a weak blue emission band around 420 nm.     

Tunable emission,energy transfer and thermal stability of Ce3+, Tb3+ co-doped Na2BaCa(PO4)2 phosphors

A series of single Ce³⁺ doped and Ce³⁺ and Tb³⁺ co-doped Na₂BaCa(PO₄)₂ (NBCP) phosphors was synthesized by conventional solid-stated reaction method. The crystal structure, luminescence properties, thermal stability and energy transfer were carefully investigated. Ce³⁺ is inferred to substitute the Ba²⁺ site in NBCP lattice. The color-tunable emission from blue to green is observed by adjusting Tb³⁺ concentration among NBCP:0.03Ce³⁺,yTb³⁺ phosphors. The energy transfer behavior from Ce³⁺ to Tb³⁺ ions is both illustrated by co-doped PL spectra and decay curves. The energy transfer efficiency is as high as 91.5%. The mechanism of energy transfer is resonance type of dipole-dipole transition. In this work, the optimal phosphor exhibits the excellent thermal stability which keeps at 94.9% of that initial value at room temperature when temperature reaches to 150 °C. The Ce³⁺ and Tb³⁺ co-doped NBCP phosphor is a promising candidate for the application in the general lighting and display fields.     

A NIR to NIR rechargeable long persistent luminescence phosphor Ca2Ga2GeO7:Yb3+,Tb3+

Near infrared to near infrared (NIR–NIR) photo-stimulated persistent luminescence (PSPL) has shown excellent potential in high-resolution bioimaging for deep tissues. However, the PSPL in NIR-Ⅱ region (900–1700 nm) is still lacking. In this work, Ca₂Ga₂GeO₇:Yb³⁺,Tb³⁺ (CGGYT) phosphor with unique low-dimensional crystal structure was synthesized by high-temperature solid–state reaction. Thanks to the carriers transferring from deep traps to shallow ones induced by low energy light, the 978 nm PSPL originating from ²F_5/2 to ²F_7/2 transition of Yb³⁺ induced by multimode stimulating (980 nm or WLED) is successfully realized after pre-excited by UV lamp. The NIR PSPL of the specimen can be repeatedly stimulated after placed in dark for 12 h. Moreover, the results indicate that codoping with Tb³⁺ can significantly enhance the NIR-II PSPL owing to the quantum cutting persistent energy transfer (QC PET) from Tb³⁺ to Yb³⁺. Our study points to a new direction for the future development of multimode PSPL materials for bioimaging or multimode optical storage applications.     

Tunable emission properties of tri-doped Ca_9LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+),Tb~(3+),Mn~(2+) phosphors with warm white emitting based on energy transfer

Tri-doped Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+),Tb~(3+),Mn~(2+)phosphors were prepared by a high-temperature solid state method.Under UV light excitation,Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+)samples exhibit a broad band ranging from 320 to 500 nm.At 77 K,the emission spectra of Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)7:Ce~(3+)samples present two obvious emission peaks,indicating that Ce~(3+)ions occupy two different kinds of lattice sites(Ca(1/2) and Ca(3)),As a good sensitizer for Tb~(3+),Ce~(3+)ions in Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7 lattice can effectively transfer part of energy to Tb~(3+),and the energy trans fer mechanism is determined to be dipole-dipole interaction.Consequently,the emitting color for Ce~(3+) and Tb~(3+) co-doped Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7 samples can be tuned from bluish violet to green.In order to further enlarge the emission gamut,Mn~(2+)ions as red emission components were added,forming tri-doped single-phase Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+),Tb~(3+),Mn~(2+)phosphors.The Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+),Tb~(3+),Mn~(2+)phosphors exhibit tunable emission properties through controlling the relative doping concentration of Ce~(3+),Tb~(3+)and Mn~(2+).Especially,Ca_9 LiY_(2/3)(PO_4)_7:0.09 Ce~(3+),0.12 Tb~(3+),0.30 Mn~(2+)can emit warm white light.The sample shows good thermal stability.At 150℃,the emission intensity for Ce~(3+)(360 nm),Tb~(3+)(545 nm) and Mn~(2+)(655 nm) decreases to 63%,69%,and 72% of its initial intensity,respectively.Moreover,the sample obtains good stability after 10 cycles between room temperature and150℃.     

Enhanced afterglow performance of CaAl_2O_4:Eu~(2+),Nd~(3+) phosphors by co-doping Gd~(3+)

In order to effectively improve the afterglow properties of CaAl_2 O_4:Eu~(2+),Nd~(3+) phosphors,a series of Ca_(0.982-x)Al_2 O_4:0.012 Eu~(2+),0.006 Nd~(3+),xGd~(3+)(x=0,0.012,0.024,0.036,0.048,0.060 mol) phosphors were prepared by a high-temperature solid-phase approach.Crystalline composition and microstructure were characterized by XRD,TEM,HRTEM,and XPS,luminescence properties were systematically analyzed by fluorescence spectra,afterglow decay curves and TL glow curve.Results show that all of Ca_(0.982-x)Al_2 O_4:0.012 Eu~(2+),0.006 Nd~(3+),xGd~(3+)phosphors belong to monoclinic CaAl_2 O_4,without other cystalline phase.The blue emission at 442 nm is observed,which is assigned to the 4 f~65 d→4 f~7 transition of Eu~(2+) ions.Doping with appropriate amount of Gd~(3+) ions(x=0.036 mol) significantly improves the afterglow properties of phosphors,but the excessive doping of Gd~(3+) induces the fluorescent quenching.The doping of moderate Gd3+changes the traps states,the trap depth varies from 0.598 to 0.644 eV and the trap concentration is also greatly improved,thus significantly improving afterglow performance.     

Photoluminescence properties of Ca-doped BaMg Al10O17）：Eu2＋,Mn2＋ blue phosphor using BaF2 and CaF2 as co-flux

Ca-doped Ba Mg Al10O17：Eu2＋,Mn2＋（BAM） blue phosphors were synthesized by flux assisted solid-state reaction method using Ca F2 and Ba F2 as co-flux.Good dispersity and particle size homogenization of hexagonal pure phase BAM were obtained by sintering at 1400 ℃.The effects of the Ca2＋ ions content on the structure, morphology and photoluminescence properties of the phosphors were studied.The results indicated that the incorporation of Ca could decrease the lattice constant, improve the homogeneity and dispersity and enhance the photoluminescence（PL） intensity of the phosphor effectively.The optimum Ba0.86Ca0.04Mg0.97Al10O17：0.1Eu2＋,0.03Mn2＋ PL intensity was enhanced for about 30% and relative brightness was improved about 4%.Furthermore, the synthesized BAM and commercial BAM phosphors were annealed for 30 min at 600 oC in air.The Ca-doped phosphors had stronger emission intensity, higher brightness and better chromaticity stability than that of the commercial phosphor.These results indicated that Ca-doped blue phosphors had good potential applications in the commercial tricolor fluorescent lamps as well as in other display and lamps.     

Energy transfer and luminescent properties of Tb3+ and Tb3+, Yb3+ doped CNGG phosphors

In this work,calcium niobium gallium garnet(Ca₃ Nb_1.6875Ga_3.1875O₁₂-CNGG) ceramic samples singledoped with Tb³⁺ and co-doped with Tb³⁺ and Yb³⁺ ions were sintered by the solid-state reaction method.The structural characterization of the samples was carried out by X-ray diffraction measurements.The optimal concentration of Tb³⁺ ions corresponding to the maximum luminescence in the green spectral range in CNGG:...     

Preparation,structure, luminescence properties of europium doped zinc spinel structure green-emitting phosphor ZnAl2O4:Eu2+

The Zn_(1-x)Al_2 O_4:xEu~(2+) phosphor powders were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method.The synthesis temperature for ZnAl_2 O_4 was optimized,whereas the phase structure,TEM images,photoluminescence(PL) properties,the concentration quenching mechanism,the fluorescence decay curves,as well as the CIE chromaticity coordinates of the samples were investigated in details.Under the excitation at 379 nm,the phosphor exhibits an asymmetric broad-band green emission with a peak at 532 nm,which is ascribed to the 5 d-4 f transition of Eu2+.When the doping concentration of Eu2+ ions is 0.01,the luminescence intensity of the sample reaches the maximum value.It is further proved that the exchange interaction results in the concentration quenching of Eu2+ in the Zn_(1-x)Al_2 O_4:xEu~(2+) phosphor powders.The thermal quenching property of ZnAl_2 O_4:Eu~(2+)phosphor was investigated and the quantum efficiency(QE) values of the selected Zn_(0.99)Al_2 O_4:0.01 Eu~(2+) phosphor was measured and determined as 54.85%.The lifetime of the optimized sample Zn_(0.99)Al_2 O_4:0.01 Eu~(2+) is 3.0852 μs and the CIE coordinate of the sample was calculated as(0.3323,0.5538) with high-color-purity green emission.All properties indicate that the green-emitting ZnAl_2 O_4:Eu~(2+) phosphor powder has potential application in white LEDs.     

Nano-preparation promoting effectively luminescent properties of one-dimensional rare earth oxides

Rare earth (La,Nd and Tb) oxides with one-dimensional micro/nanostructures were synthesized hydrothermally under facile and mild conditions with two surfactants, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetry (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence. The results showed that the synthesized rare earth oxides behaved regular nano-and micro-scale structures. And the morphologies of samples depended on the radii of rare earth ions, with the help of two surfactants of sodium dodecyl sulfonic and PEG 600. Nanocrystalline La2O3:Eu3+ possessed good photoluminescence (PL) property and might be used as a nanosized phosphor, its PL intensity was altered by the doping Eu3+ concentration and the optimum concentration of Eu3+ was 3 mol.%. In comparison with bulk Eu3+/La2O3, Eu3+/nano-La2O3 showed better photoluminescence property, nearly equal to that of nanocrtstal-line La2O3:Eu3+. Tb4O7 microwires showed interesting photoluminescence properties.     

Specific features of Eu^3＋ and Tb^3＋ magnetooptics in gadolinium-gallium garnet （Gd3Ga5O12）

We reported magnetooptical properties of Eu3+(4f(6)) and Tb3+(4f(8)) in single crystals of Gd3Ga5O12 (GGG), Y3Ga5O12 (YGG), and Eu3+(4f(6)) in Eu3Ga5O12 (EuGG) for both ions occupying sites of D2 symmetry in the garnet structure. Absorption, luminescence, and magnetic circular polarization of luminescence (MCPL) spectra of Tb3+ in GGG and YGG and absorption and magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) of Eu3+ in EuGG were studied. The data were obtained at 85 K and room temperature (RT). Magnetic susceptibility of Eu3+ in EuGG was also measured between 85 K and RT. The magnetooptical and magnetic susceptibility data were modeled using the wavefunctions of the crystal-field split energy (Stark) levels of Eu3+ and Tb3+ occupying D2 sites in the same garnets. The results reported gave a precise determination of these Stark level assignments and confirmed the symmetry labels (irreducible representations) of the closely-spaced Stark levels (quasi-doublets) found in the 5D1 (Eu3+) and 5D4 (Tb3+) multiplets. Ultraviolet (UV) excitation (<300 nm) of the 6PJ and 6IJ states of Gd3+ in the doped GGG crystals led to emission from 5D4 (Tb3+) and 5D1 and 5D0 (Eu3+) through radiationless energy transfer to the 4f(n-1)5d band of Tb3+ and to UV quintet states of Eu3+. The temperature-dependent emission line shapes and line shifts of the magnetooptical transitions excited by UV radiation suggested a novel way to explore energy transfer mechanisms in this rare-earth doped garnet system.     

Blue-emitting Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2O_4:Ce~(3+) phosphors for high CRI white LEDs

A broadband blue-emitting Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+)(x=0-0.2) phospho rs were synthesized,which can be used for near-UV pumped white light-emitting diodes(w-LEDs).The crystal structures,photoluminescence pro perties,external quantum efficiency,the rmal stability and application perfo rmance of Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+),by partially substituting Sr~(2+) with Ca~(2+)(x=0-0.2),were studied by various analytical techniques.When the Ca/Sr ratio of Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+) gradually increases,the emission peak of Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+) red-shiftes from 459 to 465 nm,corrected external quantum efficiency increases from 31.8% to 42.9%,and the thermal stability is also improved.The mechanism of the changes of the photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra,external quantum efficiency and thermal stability properties was also investigated in detail.In addition,a w-LED was fabricated by using SrLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+)(blue),β-sialon:Eu~(2+)(green) and(Sr,Ca)AlSiN_3:Eu~(2+)(red) phosphors combined with a 405 nm near-UV LED chip,and its color rendering index(CRI) reaches 96.0.When Sr_(0.8)Ca_(0.2)Lu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+)is applied as blue phosphor to substitute SrLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+),the obtained w-LED devices have high luminous efficiency,and CRI greater than 95.0.These re sults show that the Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+) can be potential blue phosphors for n-UV pumped high CRI w-LEDs application.     

Cr3+/Y3+ co-doped persistent luminescence nanoparticles with biological window activation for in vivo repeatable imaging

The near-infrared(NIR) persistent luminescence materials(PLMs) can remain long-lasting luminescence after removal of the excitation light,which permits bioimaging with high sensitivity owing to the absence of background fluorescence interference from in situ excitation.Recently,the NIR PLMs have aroused intensive research interest in bioimaging.However,the optimal excitation wavelength of current NIR PLMs is located in the ultraviolet region with shallow tissue penetration,making it difficult to...     

Photoluminescent properties of Ca2Gd8（SiO4）6O2： Dy^3＋ phosphor films prepared by sol-gel process

There are growing interests on phosphor thin films owing to their potential application in high-resolution devices such as cathode ray tubes and flat panel display devices. The solution-based sol-gel method is one of the most important techniques for the synthesis of various functional coating films. Compounds with the apatite structure are very suitable host lattices for various luminescent ions. Ca2RE8（SiO4）6O2 （ RE=Y, Gd, La ） is a kind of ternary rare-earth-metal silicate with oxyapatite structure, which has been used as host material for the luminescence of various rare earth and mercury-like ions. In this article, Ca2Gd8（SiO4）6O2：Dy^3＋phosphor films were dip-coated on quartz glass substrates through the sol-gel process. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, atomic force microscopy （AFM）, photoluminescence （PL） spectra, as well as lifetimes were used to characterize the resulting films. AFM study revealed that the phosphor films consisted of homogeneous particles. The Dy^3＋ showed its characteristic emission in crystalline phosphor films, i.e., ^4F9/2-^6H15/2 and ^4F9/2-^6H13/2.     

Long afterglow yellow luminescence from Pr3+ doped SrSc2O4

A yellow emitting long afterglow luminescence material SrSc₂O₄:Pr³⁺ was successfully prepared by solid state reaction method. SrSc₂O₄:Pr³⁺ phosphor shows a long afterglow luminescence peak at about 495, 545, 621, 630 and 657 nm, respectively, corresponding to the f–f transitions of Pr³⁺. The afterglow chromaticity coordinates of SrSc₂O₄:1 at%Pr³⁺ were calculated to be (0.35, 0.41), indicating that the afterglow emission is close to the light of yellow region. And, the afterglow luminescence of the optimal sample doped by 1 at%Pr³⁺ can persist for over 3 h. The thermoluminescence results suggest that there are three types of traps with depth of 0.61, 0.69 and 0.78 eV exiting for all the samples, which are produced by the addition of Pr³⁺ ions. The trap density of SrSc₂O₄:1 at%Pr³⁺ is the maximum when the incorporation of Pr³⁺ ions reaches 1 at%, which thus results in the longest afterglow luminescence. All the results indicate that SrSc₂O₄:Pr³⁺ can be a potential candidate of novel long afterglow phosphors.     

Effect of excitation wavelength (blue vs near UV) and dopant concentrations on afterglow and fast decay of persistent phosphor SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+

The persistent phosphor SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺ is the subject of numerous investigations. One often neglected aspect is that in this phosphor, as well as in Sr₄Al₁₄O₂₅:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺, there are two different Sr²⁺ sites which can be occupied by the dopant Eu²⁺ ions. We first introduce a general scheme of possible energy transfers in these persistent phosphor materials including explicitly both europium ions. This scheme is used as a generic starting point to study experimentally specific pathways. We illustrate this application with the study of the effect of excitation wavelength (444 and 382 nm) on the afterglow of differently doped SrAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺ samples, as well as on the emission decay curves. With the same excitation intensity under 444 nm excitation, the resulting afterglow intensity is stronger than under near UV excitation. At 382 nm, Eu²⁺ ions on both Sr²⁺ sites in SrAl₂O₄ are excited, but at room temperature the blue emission is quenched, leading to a loss of photons. The observed effects can further be associated with the ratio of Eu²⁺ ions and trap states which are modulated by the concentrations of Eu²⁺ and Dy³⁺ in SrAl₂O₄, as well as by temperature. Increasing the nominal Dy³⁺ content from 0.1 mol% to 0.5 mol% with respect to Sr results in the doubling of the integrated afterglow intensity and confirms thus that Dy³⁺ ions are indeed involved in the trapping process. The concentration of trap states is much lower than the concentration of Eu²⁺ ions, as even with low excitation densities, a plateau of integrated afterglow intensity (corresponding to the total number of accessible traps) is reached. We postulate that an important fraction of excited Eu²⁺ ions can potentially transfer their energy to trap states. Once that all traps are filled or in a dynamical filling-depletion process under illumination (with thermal and/or optical depletion processes), for the remaining Eu²⁺ a “normal” steady-state emission is observed. The luminescence decay curves at 520 nm measured at 77 K show a mono-exponential decay with a common lifetime of about 1140 ns for all 5 samples under 437 nm excitation, while under 375 nm excitation, a feed process originating from the energy transfer between Eu²⁺ ions is demonstrated. Under 375 nm excitation, the non-exponential decay observed at 440 nm can be quantitatively associated to a Förster energy transfer process with R₀ = 1.58 (8) nm. For the overall understanding of the afterglow processes, it appears that one has to consider the individual contributions of all active ions on different lattice sites.     

Influence of dysprosium concentration on sensitivity of luminescent thermometers of phosphors Ca_9Tb(PO_4)_5(SiO_4)F_2

Tb~(3+),Dy~(3+)-co-doped Ca_9 Tb_xDy_(1-x)(PO_4)_5(SiO_4)F_2 phosphors were prepared via high-temperature solidphase reaction method and the potential application in optical temperature measurements due to their color-tunable property was investigated in detail.The photoluminescence emission(PL) and photoluminescence excitation(PLE) spectra results show that the as-prepared phosphors exhibit both Tb~(3+) and Dy~(3+) emissions at 546 nm(~5 D_4-~7 F_5 transition of Tb~(3+)) and 587 nm(~4 F_(9/2)-~6 H_(13/2) transition of Dy~(3+)) upon376 nm excitation,respectively.In addition,the fluorescence decay analysis shows that the lifetime of the Tb3+emission rapidly decreases,which confirms the energy transfer existence between Dy~(3+) and Tb~(3+).Under 376 nm excitation,the temperature dependence of the fluorescence intensity ratios for the dualmission bands peaked at 546 and 587 nm was studied in the temperature range from 303 to 573 K.The results show that with the increase of Dy~(3+) concentration,the relative sensitivity first increases and then decreases,what's more,the maximum relative sensitivity is 3.142×10~(-3)%/K for Ca_9 Tb_xDy_(1-x)(PO_4)_5(SiO_4)-F_2(x=0.4).As a consequence,this preliminary study provides a novel method for exploring the novel thermo meters.     

Preparation and luminescence properties of orange-red Ba3Y4O9:Sm3+ phosphors

A novel orange-red emitting Ba₃Y₄O₉:Sm³⁺ phosphors were prepared by a high temperature solid-state reaction in air. X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence spectra, fluorescence decay and temperature-dependent emission spectra were utilized to characterize the structure and luminescence properties. The results show that the excitation spectrum includes a series of linear peaks at 350, 367, 382, 410, 424, 445, 470 and 495 nm, respectively. Under 410 nm excitation, the emission peaks were located at 574 nm (⁴G_5/2—⁶H_5/2), 608 nm (⁴G_5/2—⁶H_7/2), 659 nm (⁴G_5/2—⁶H_9/2) and 722 nm (⁴G_5/2—⁶H_11/2), respectively. The concentration quenching occurs when x equals 0.08 for Ba₃Y_4–xO₉:xSm³⁺ phosphor and its mechanism is ascribed to the dipole–dipole interaction. The chromaticity coordinates of Ba₃Y_3.92O₉:0.08Sm³⁺ phosphor are in the orange-red region. The temperature-dependent study shows that this phosphor has excellent luminescence thermal-stability. And the luminescence intensity of Ba₃Y_3.92O₉:0.08Sm³⁺ phosphor at 473 K only declines by about 25.75% of its initial intensity. The experimental data indicate that Ba₃Y₄O₉:Sm³⁺ phosphor may be promising as an orange-red emitting phosphor for white light emitting diodes.