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℃.     

Synthesis and optical characterization of Eu2+,Tb3+-codoped Sr3Y(PO4)3 green phosphors

A series of Eu~(2+),Tb~(3+)-codoped Sr_3 Y(PO_4)_3(SYP) green phosphors were synthesized by hightemperature solid-state reaction. Several techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, UV-vis spectrum,and photoluminescence spectrum, were used to investigate the obtained phosphors. The present study investigates in detail photoluminescence excitation and emission properties, energy transfer between the two dopants, and effects of doping ions on optical band gap. SYP:0.05 Eu2+ phosphor shows an intense and broad excitation band ranging from 220 to 400 nm and exhibits a bright green emission band with CIE chromaticity coordinates(0.189, 0.359) under 350 nm excitation. Green emission of SYP:0.03 Tb3+ is intensified by codoping with Eu~(2+), and energy transfer mechanism between them is demonstrated to be a dipole-dipole interaction. Upon 350 nm excitation, SYP:Eu~(2+),Tb~(3+) phosphors exhibits two dominating bands peaking at 466 and 545 nm, which are assigned to 4 f~65 d~1→4 f~7 transition of Eu~(2+) ions and ~5 D_4→~7 F_5 transition of Tb~(3+) ions, respectively. Optimal doping concentrations of Eu~(2+) and Tb~(3+) in the SYP host are 5 mol% and 15 mol%, respectively. Results indicate that SYP:Eu~(2+),Tb~(3+) phosphors are potentially used as green-emitting phosphors for white light-emitting diodes.     

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.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of Tb3+/Eu3+ co-doped GdAlO3 phosphors with enhanced red emission

The(Gd_(0.97-x)Eu_xTb_(0.03))AIO_3(x= 0.005-0.07) phosphors were synthesized by the co-precipitation method,using ammonium bicarbonate as a precipitant.The combined technologies of FT-IR,XRD,FESEM,PLE/PL and photo luminescence decay analysis were used to study the phase evolution,morphologies and luminescent properties.The phosphors with good dispersion exhibit strong vivid red emission located at 617 nm(~5 D_0-~7 F_2 transition of Eu~(3+)) under the optimal excitation wavelength of 275 nm(~4 f~8-4 f~75 d~1 transition of Tb~(3+),~8 S_(7/2)→6~I_J transition of Gd~(3+)).The presence of Gd~(3+) and Tb~(3+) excitation bands on the PLE spectra monitoring the Eu~(3+) emission directly gives an evidence of Tb~(3+) → Eu~(3+) and Gd~(3+) → Eu~(~(3+)) energy transfer,The emission intensity varies with the Eu~(3+) amount,and the quenching concentration is ～5 at% which is close to the calculated value.The quenching mechanism is determined to be the exchange reaction between Eu~(3+).The temperature-dependent PL analysis indicates that the best(Gd_(0.92)Eu_(0.05)Tb_(0.03))AlO_3 sample possesses good thermally stable properties.All the(Gd_(0.97-x)Eu_xTb_(0.03))AIO_3 phosphors in this work have similar CIE chromaticity coordinates and color temperatures,which are(0.65 ± 0.02,0.35 ± 0.02) and ～2558 K,respectively.Fluorescence decay analysis shows that the lifetime for～617 nm emission decreases with the content of Eu~(3+) and temperature increasing.Owing to the Tb~(3+)→ Eu~(3+) energy transfer,the luminescent properties of the(Gd_(0.92)Eu_(0.05)Tb_(0.03))AlO_3 phosphors are superior to the single Eu~(~(3+)) doped sample(Gd_(0.95)Eu_(0.05))AlO_3.As a result,the prepared phosphors may be widely used in solid-state display and light emitting devices.     

Thermally stable photoluminescence and long persistent luminescence of Ca3Ga4O9:Tb3+/Zn2+

A green long persistent luminescence (LPL) phosphor Ca₃Ga₄O₉:Tb³⁺/Zn²⁺ was prepared. Ca₃Ga₄O₉ matrix exhibits blue self-activated LPL due to the creation of intrinsic traps. When Tb³⁺ is doped, the photoluminescence (PL) and LPL colors change from blue to green with their intensities significantly enhanced. The doping of Zn²⁺ evidently improves the PL and LPL performances of the Ca₃Ga₄O₉ matrix and Ca₃Ga₄O₉:Tb³⁺. The thermoluminescence (TL) spectra show that a successive trap distribution is formed by multiple intrinsic traps with different depths in the Ca₃Ga₄O₉ matrix, and the incorporation of Tb³⁺ and Zn²⁺ effectively increases the densities of these intrinsic traps. The existence of a successive trap distribution makes the Ca₃Ga₄O₉:Tb³⁺/Zn²⁺ phosphor exhibit thermally stable PL and LPL. It is indicated that this phosphor shows great promise for the application such as high-temperature LPL phosphor.     

Luminescence properties of a single-host phosphor Bal.8-wSrwLi0.4SiO4： cea＋,Eu2＋,Mn2＋ for WLED

In order to obtain a single-host-white-light phosphor,a series of Ba1.8-w-x-y-zSrwLi0.4-xCexEuyMnzSiO4(BSLS:Ce3+,Eu2+,Mn2+)powder samples were synthesized via high temperature solid-state reaction.The structure and photoluminescence properties were investigated.Under ultraviolet excitation,the emission spectra contained three bands:the 370-470 nm blue band,the 470-570 nm green band and the 570-700 nm red band,which arose from the 5d→4f transitions of Ce3+ and Eu2+,and the 4T1→6A1 transition of Mn2+,respectively.The excitation spectra of the emissions of Ce3+ and Mn2+ ions showed the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Mn2+.White light emission was obtained from the tri-doped samples of appropriate doping concentration under 310-360 nm excitation.     

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.     

Upconversion multicolor tuning of NaY(WO4)2:Tb3+ with Eu3+ doping

A series of Tb~(3+) and Eu~(3+) co-doped NaY(WO_4)_2 phosphors were synthesized by hydrothermal reactions.The crystal structure,morphology,upconversion luminescent properties,the energy transfer from Tb~(3+) to Eu~(3+)ions and the ~5 D_4→ ~7 F_5 transition of the Tb~(3+) ion in NaY(WO_4)_2:Tb~(3+),Eu~(3+) phosphors were investigated in details.The results indicate that all the synthesized samples are of pure tetragonal phase NaY(WO_4)2.Furthermore,the micrometer-sized needle spheres and excellent dispersion of the particles are obtained by adding polyethylene glycol(PEG-2000) as the surfactant.Phosphors of NaY(WO_4)_2:Tb~(3+),Eu~(3+) exhibit the492 nm blue emission peak,546 nm green emission peak,595 nm orange emission peak and 616 nm red emission peak under 790 nm excitation.The energy transfer from Tb~(3+) to Eu~(3+) is a resonant transfer,in which electric dipole-dipole interaction plays a leading role.By adjusting the doping concentration of Eu~(3+) in NaY(WO_4)_2: 1.0 mol%Tb~(3+),xmol%Eu~(3+) phosphors,the emitting color of UC phosphors can be tuned from green to red.     

Role of monovalent co-dopants on the PL emission properties of YAI3（BO3）4：Ce3＋ phosphor

The cerium （Ce3＋） doped yttrium aluminium borate （YAB） phosphor was synthesized by modified solid state reaction. The phosphor＇s phase purity and its emission properties were studied using powder X-ray diffraction pattern and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The synthesized YAB had rhomobohedral crystal structure. The phosphor had two different excitation and emission spectra. By 325 nm excitation, the phosphor had emission at 373 nm and with 363 nm excitation; the phosphor gave violet-blue emission at 418 nm. The UV emission of the phosphor originated due to Ce3＋ ions at the yttrium site and violet-blue emission owing to Ce3＋ ions at non-regular sites viz., A13＋ and interstitial sites. The emission intensity of the phosphor was enhanced when monovalent ions （K＋, Na＋, and F） were added as co-dopants. The crucial role of ionic radii of monovalent co-dopants on the emission enhancement of the YAB：Ce3＋ phosphor was reported. Thermogravimetric study showed that the YAB possessed high thermal stability at up to 900 ℃.     

Multi-color luminescence in Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped ZnAl amorphous materials and their annealed samples

Multi-color luminescence basing on amorphous Eu~(3+)/Tb~(3+) co-doped Zn-Al hydroxides and their annealed samples were studied in detail. Results suggest that excellent red emissions due to Eu~(3+) and green emissions attributed to Tb~(3+) appear under the excitation of favorable wavelength for all the asprepared amorphous samples. Moreover, the emission intensity depends on the Eu~(3+)/Tb~(3+) molar ratio. The samples annealed at 300, 500, and 700 ℃ still exhibit amorphous state,and multi-color luminescence kept in the samples annealed at 300 ℃, while luminescence quenched for the samples annealed at 500 and 700 ℃. However, a broad emission ranging from 450 to 650 nm occurs in some samples annealed at 900 ℃. Further, the fluorescence decay and lifetimes for the as-prepared samples and the samples annealed at 300 ℃ were investigated. It is found that all the decay curves of emissions due to Tb~(3+) and Eu~(3+) present characteristic double exponential function despite their different lifetimes.The present work may be a good example for developing new multi-color even white light emitting materials.     

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.     

White-light emitting single-phase phosphor La3Si6N11:Dy3+,Tb3+: Color tunable emission,thermal stability and energy transfer process

A novel white-light emitting single-phase phosphor La₃Si₆N₁₁:Dy³⁺, exhibiting two emission peaks centering at 475 and 575 nm, was prepared via conventional solid-state reactions. The structure and morphology of La₃Si₆N₁₁:Dy³⁺/Tb³⁺ were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The emission colors can be tuned from white to yellow-green through increasing the Tb³⁺ concentration in La₃Si₆N₁₁:Dy³⁺,Tb³⁺. The mechanism of energy transfer (ET) from Dy³⁺ to Tb³⁺ is confirmed according to the excitation, emission spectra and decay lifetimes curve. The temperature-dependent luminescence measurements of La_2.83Si₆N₁₁:0.1Dy³⁺,0.07Tb³⁺ were also performed, and a good thermal stability is shown, suggesting superior properties for the application as white light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs) phosphor.     

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.     

Luminescence properties of BaAl12O19:Tb,Ce and energy transfer between Ce3+, Tb3+

BaAl₁₂O₁₉:Tb,Ce phosphors were prepared by sol-gel technique, the crystalline structures of samples characterized by XRD, and the luminescence properties and energy transfer between Ce³⁺ and Tb³⁺ were investigated. The results indicated that the emission intensity and the excitation wavelength range of Tb³⁺ increased when Ce³⁺ was doped. It demonstrated that the Ce³⁺ added in the BaAl₁₂O₁₉:Tb could deliver energy to Tb³⁺, and Ce³⁺ was not luminous by itself. The relative emission intensity of Tb³⁺ at wavelength of 548 nm was the strongest by Tb³⁺/Ce³⁺ ratio of 2:1, when excited at 310 nm, which was the characteristic adsorption wavelength of Ce³⁺.     

A novel blue-purple Ce~(3+) doped whitlockite phosphor:Synthesis,crystal structure,and photoluminescence properties

At present,the rare earth(RE) ions doped phosphors have attracted more and more attention because of their excellent properties.In this paper,a series of novel blue-purple β-Ca_3(PO_4)_2:Ce~(3+) phosphors were synthesized by a high temperature solid phase method.The X-ray diffraction(XRD),infrared spectrum,energy dispersive spectroscopy(EDS),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra were used to investigate the crystal structure,composition and the luminescent properties of the resulting samples.The phosphor shows a strong absorption in the ultraviolet band.Under the excitation of 269 nm,the phosphor emits a strong purple fluorescence ranging from 360 to 520 nm.When Ce~(3+) doping content is 0.07 mol,the strongest luminescence intensity is reached,and the concentration quenching mechanism is dipole-dipole(d-d)interaction for Ce~(3+) based on Dexter theory.     

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.     

Study on spectroscopic properties of GdOBr:RE (RE=Eu, Tb, Ce)

Rare earth ions doped gadolinium oxybromide phosphors GdOBr:RE³⁺ (RE=Eu, Tb, Ce) were synthesized by the method of solid-state reaction at high temperature, and the VUV-VIS spectroscopic properties of the phosphors were systematically investigated. Under the excitation of VUV or UV source, the phosphors doped with Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ show a bright and sharp emission at around 620 nm corresponding to the forced electric dipole ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺, and at around 544 nm corresponding to the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ transition of Tb³⁺, respectively. For GdOBr:Ce³⁺, a broader and intense emission spanned 370–500 nm corresponding to the d-f transition of Ce³⁺ was observed. The excitation spectra were also analyzed.     

Enhanced photoluminescence of CaTiO3：Eu3＋ red phosphors prepared by H3BO3 assisted solid state synthesis

CaTiO₃:Eu³⁺ red phosphors were prepared using H₃BO₃ assisted solid state synthesis. The structure and morphology of the obtained sample were observed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). And the luminescence property was measured using photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, respectively. In the excitation spectra, main excitation peaks of the prepared samples were centered at 397 and 465 nm, revealing that these phosphors could be excited by commercial GaN- and InGaN-typed light emitting diodes (LEDs). Dominant emission peaks of the phosphors were located at 616 nm, owing to the transition of ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ of Eu³⁺. In the optimum condition, CaTiO₃:3%Eu³⁺ phosphor was obtained at a sintering temperature of 1200 °C in air with a content of 20 mol.% H₃BO₃ addition. When excited by 397 nm irradiation, the PL intensity of as-prepared red phosphor was 2.2 times higher than that of samples obtained by traditional solid state synthesis, while the PL intensity was 3 times higher than that excited by 465 nm irradiation. The added H₃BO₃ improved the crystallinity, and increased the color purity, implying the potential to be a promising red phosphor in white light emitting diodes (WLEDs).     

Site occupation and energy transfer in full color emitting phosphor Ba2Ca(BO3)2:Ce3+(K+),Eu2+,Mn2+

White light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) fabricated by single-phase full color emitting phosphor are an emerging solution for health lighting. The crystallographic site occupation of activators in a proper host lattice is crucial for sophisticated design of such phosphor. Here, we report a high quality white light-emitting phosphor Ba₂Ca(BO₃)₂:Ce³⁺(K⁺),Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺ with spectral distribution covering whole visible region. Blue light emission originates from Ce³⁺ ions occupying preferentially Ba²⁺ site by controlling synthesis conditions. Green and red lights are obtained from Eu²⁺ occupying Ba²⁺ (and Ca²⁺) site and Mn²⁺ occupying Ca²⁺ site, respectively. In this triple-doped phosphor, strong red emission with a low concentration of Mn²⁺ is realized by the efficient energy transfer from Ce³⁺ and Eu²⁺ to Mn²⁺. Furthermore, high quality white light is accomplished by properly tuning the relative doping amount of Ce³⁺(K⁺)/Eu²⁺/Mn²⁺ based on efficient simultaneous energy transfer. The results indicate that Ba₂Ca(BO₃)₂:Ce³⁺(K⁺),Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺ is a promising white light-emitting phosphor in WLEDs application.     

Ce3+ sensitized Tb3+ and Dy3+ photoluminescence in β-LaB5O9 prepared by sol–gel method

Rare earth (RE) pentaborates, both α- and β-polymorphs, are good candidates for photoluminescent hosts suitable for various RE activators. Ce³⁺ acts not only as an activator itself, but also as a sensitizer to other rare earth activators, like in the case of commercial green phosphor CeMgAl₁₁O₁₉:Tb³⁺. In this work, two solid solutions of β-La_0.9–xCe_0.1Tb_xB₅O₉ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) and β-La_0.9–yCe_0.1Dy_yB₅O₉ (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.07) were prepared by sol–gel method with high crystallinity, and the phase purity was confirmed with careful analyses on powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Energy transfers are expected due to the overlapping of Ce³⁺ emission with the Tb³⁺/Dy³⁺ excitation. Indeed, the steady photoluminescence spectra indicate the decrease of the Ce³⁺ emission and the increase of the Tb³⁺/Dy³⁺ emission, and the fluorescence decay curves exhibit the decrease of the average lifetime of Ce³⁺. The energy transfer efficiency is estimated to be 60% at x = 0.15 and 55% at y = 0.07, respectively. The mechanism is likely through the dipole–dipole electric interactions for both cases. With this rationale, the Tb³⁺ and Dy³⁺ emissions are greatly enhanced, in particular, the white emission of Dy³⁺ in β-La_0.85Ce_0.1Dy_0.05B₅O₉ is enhanced by 20 times.