Effect of Sm3+ doping on ferroelectric,energy storage and photoluminescence properties of BaTiO3 ceramics

Rare earth doped ferroelectric ceramics have attracted much attention due to their great potential application for novel multifunctional optical-electro devices. Herein, the x% mol Sm³⁺ doped BaTiO₃ (BTO:xSm³⁺) ceramics were fabricated by the conventional solid-state reaction method. The Sm³⁺ ions composition dependent phase structure, ferroelectric, energy storage and photoluminescence properties were systematically investigated. With the increase of Sm³⁺ ions composition, the remanent polarization decreases dramatically from 15.705 μC/cm² (BTO) to 7.132 μC/cm² (BTO:3.0%Sm³⁺), but the energy storage density and efficiency increase greatly with a relative change of 79.76% and 31.13%, respectively. Furthermore, Sm³⁺ doping causes the transformation from the tetragonal to pseudo-cubic phase for BTO ceramics at room temperature, resulting in a broader temperature transition range from the ferroelectric to paraelectric phase and a lower Curie temperature. Particularly, the pure BTO and BTO:xSm³⁺ ceramics show great thermal stability for energy storage properties. In addition, under the excitation of 408 nm near-ultraviolet light, the BTO:xSm³⁺ ceramics exhibit the strongest orange-red emission peak around 596 nm with a large relative tunability of intensity by 88.97%. The results suggest that the BTO:xSm³⁺ ceramics are suitable for the design of optoelectronic devices.     

Red-emitting enhancement of Bi4Si3O12:Sm3+ phosphor by Pr3+ co-doping for White LEDs application

In this account, Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺ and (Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺, Pr³⁺) red phosphors were prepared by solution combustion method fueled by citric acid at 900 °C for 1 h. The effects of co-doping Pr³⁺ ions on red emission properties of Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺ phosphors, as well as the mechanism of interaction between Sm³⁺ and Pr³⁺ ions were investigated by various methods. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that smaller amounts of doped rare earth ions did not change the crystal structure and particle morphology of the phosphors. The photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) indicated that shape and position of the emission peaks of (Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺, Pr³⁺) phosphors excited at λ_ex=403 nm were similar to those of Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺ phosphors. The strongest emission peak was recorded at 607 nm, which was attributed to the ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_7/2 transition of the Sm³⁺ ion. The photoluminescence intensities of Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺ phosphors were significantly improved by co-doping with Pr³⁺ ions and were maximized at Sm³⁺ and Pr³⁺ ions doping concentrations of 4 mol% and 0.1 mol%, respectively. The characteristic peaks of Sm³⁺ ions were displayed in the emission spectra of (Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺, Pr³⁺) phosphors excited at respectively λ_ex=443 nm and λ_ex=481 nm (Pr:³H₄→³P₂, ³H₄→³P₀). This indicated the existence of Pr³⁺→Sm³⁺ energy transfer in (Bi₄Si₃O₁₂:Sm³⁺, Pr³⁺) phosphors.     

Ultra-narrow deep-red emitting AlN:Sm2+phosphor with nano-branched construct for wide color gamut backlight display and high-pressure sensing applications

Rare-earth (RE) doped AlN are excellent candidate materials for electroluminescent devices, full color displays and white lighting technology. In this paper, a deep red Sm²⁺ doped AlN (AlN:Sm²⁺) phosphor was synthesized for the first time by a one-step direct nitridation method. Detailed XRD and EDS studies show the presence of samarium (Sm) ions the AlN, and XPS measurements indicate Sm ions are divalent. SEM and TEM studies show that the AlN:Sm²⁺ have a branched nanostructure, consisting of a primary stem and secondary short nano-branches. AlN:Sm²⁺ phosphor has a broad and strong excitation bands in the range of 300–600 nm, ultra-narrow deep red emission at 686 nm, near unity color purity, and good thermal stability (78.2% at 413 K). A blue-pumped warm white light emitting diode with high color rendering index (Ra∼87.5) and low correlated color temperature (CCT∼4875 K) was fabricated. Moreover, a super-wide color gamut (117.6% of the NTSC) can be achieved by using AlN:Sm²⁺ as the red component. Furthermore, photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectra of AlN:Sm²⁺ were studied under hydrostatic pressure up to 25 GPa. The shift of the ⁵D₀→⁷F₀ emission band (dλ/dP≈0.13 nm/GPa) and the decrease of PL intensity ratio (⁵D₀→⁷F₀/⁵D₀→⁷F₁, dI_R(0/1)/dP≈−5.6%/GPa) with applied pressure can be used for optical pressure sensor. Raman spectroscopy revealed a phase transition of AlN:Sm²⁺ from wurtzite to rocksalt phase at 19.9 GPa. The large doping of Sm²⁺ ions and unique intrinsic geometry in branched nanostructure co-affect its compressibility and structural stability under high pressure. The results indicate that AlN:Sm²⁺ phosphor has promising applications in backlight displays and optical pressure sensors due to their excellent luminescent properties.     

Highly-doped YAG:Sm3+ transparent ceramics: Effect of Sm3+ ions concentration

YAG:Sm³⁺ (3–15 at.%) transparent ceramics, a promising cladding material for suppressors of parasitic oscillations at 1064 nm of YAG:Nd³⁺ lasers, have been prepared by solid-state reactive sintering at 1725 °C. The effect of samarium ions concentration on the microstructure and optical properties of YAG:Sm³⁺ sintered ceramics was studied for the first time. The solubility limit of samarium ions in the garnet matrix was found to lie within the range of 9–11 at.%. The spectroscopic characterization of YAG:Sm³⁺ (3–15 at.%) ceramic samples showed that the absorption coefficients corresponding to Sm³⁺ ions transitions increased linearly with increasing Sm³⁺ doping. Also, the increase in the concentration of Sm³⁺ ions contributes to the increase in the intensities of the satellites, leading to the broadening of the main spectral lines and implicitly to the increase of the absorption coefficient around 1064 nm. It was shown that YAG:Sm³⁺ ceramics doped with 9 at.% Sm³⁺ ions possess optical losses of 0.07 cm^?1 at 808 nm and an optical absorption coefficient of 4.45 cm^?1 at 1064 nm. The concentration dependence of the ⁴G_5/2 level decay confirmed that the luminescence extinction is due to the energy transfer between the Sm³⁺ ions through cross-relaxation processes. All these results show that highly-doped YAG:Sm³⁺ (9 at.%) ceramics could be the best candidate for parasitic oscillation suppression in high-power YAG:Nd³⁺ lasers at 1064 nm.     

Nd3+/Sm3+ codoped NaLa(WO4)2 glass ceramic: A novel optical heater

Transparent Nd³⁺/Sm³⁺ codoped tungstate silicate glass ceramics were prepared and used for the photothermal conversion process. XRD patterns, TEM image and the enhanced Raman signals confirm the appearance of the tetragonal scheelite NaLa(WO₄)₂ nanocrystals in the vitreous phase. In comparison to the precursor glass, the enhancement of photoluminescence of Nd³⁺ ions in the glass ceramics attributes to the enrichment of Nd³⁺ ion in the precipitated low phonon-energy tetragonal scheelite NaLa(WO₄)₂ nanocrystals. The rapid reduction of photoluminescence of Nd³⁺ ions in the Nd³⁺/Sm³⁺ codoped glass ceramics demonstrates that a strong energy transfer from Nd³⁺ to Sm³⁺ takes place, which provides more non-radiative relaxation channels and is beneficial for the improving the photothermal conversion efficiency. Under the irradiation of 808 nm laser diode, a significant temperature rise is observed in the Nd³⁺/Sm³⁺ codoped glass ceramics and may be used as a good optical heater.     

Enhancement of Sm3+ emission by SnO2 nanocrystals in the silica matrix

Silica xerogels containing Sm³⁺ ions and SnO₂ nanocrystals were prepared in a sol–gel process. The image of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows that the SnO₂ nanocrystals are dispersed in the silica matrix. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the sample confirms the tetragonal phase of SnO₂. The xerogels containing SnO₂ nanocrystals and Sm³⁺ ions display the characteristic emission of Sm³⁺ ions (⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H _J (J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2)) at the excitation of 335 nm which energy corresponds to the energy gap of the SnO₂ nanocrystals, while no emission of Sm³⁺ ions can be observed for the samples containing Sm³⁺ ions. The enhancement of the Sm³⁺ emission is probably due to the energy transfer from SnO₂ nanocrystals to Sm³⁺ ions.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of novel Y2Si4N6C:Sm3+ carbonitride phosphor

Novel Y₂Si₄N₆C:Sm³⁺ phosphors for white light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs) were prepared by a carbothermal reduction and nitridation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence spectra were utilized to characterize the structure and luminescence properties of the as-synthesized phosphors. The emission spectrum obtained by excitation into 291 nm contains exclusively the characteristic emission of Sm³⁺ at 568, 607 and 654 nm which correspond to the transitions from ⁴G_5/2 to ⁶H_5/2, ⁶H_7/2, and ⁶H_9/2 of Sm³⁺, respectively. The strongest one is located at 607 nm due to ⁴G_5/2–⁶H_7/2 transition of Sm³⁺. It was found that concentration quenching occurred as a result of dipole–dipole interaction according to Dexter's theory. The temperature dependence of photoluminescence properties was investigated from 25 to 300 °C and the prepared Y₂Si₄N₆C:Sm³⁺ phosphors showed superior thermal quenching properties.     

Luminescence properties of Ca2GdNbO6: Sm3+, Eu3+ red phosphors with high quantum yield and excellent thermal stability for WLEDs

A series of Ca₂GdNbO₆: xSm³⁺ (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) and Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, yEu³⁺ (0.05 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) phosphors were synthesized by the traditional solid-state sintering process. XRD and the corresponding refinement results indicate that both Sm³⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions are doped successfully into the lattice of Ca₂GdNbO₆. The micro-morphology shows that the elements of Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, 0.2Eu³⁺ phosphor are evenly distributed in the sample, and the particle size is about 2 μm. The optical properties and fluorescence lifetime of Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors were detailedly studied. The emission peak at ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ (614 nm) is the strongest and emits red light under 406 nm excitation. The increase of Eu³⁺ concentration causes the energy transfers from Sm³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions, and the transfer efficiency reaches 28.6%. Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, 0.2Eu³⁺ phosphor has a quantum yield of about 82.7%, and thermal quenching activation energy is of 0.312 eV. The color coordinate (0.646, 0.352) of Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, 0.2Eu³⁺ phosphors is located in the red area. The LED device fabricated based on the above phosphor emit bright white light, and CCT = 5400 K, Ra = 92.8. The results present that Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors potentially find use in the future.     

Photoluminescence and optical temperature sensing in Sm3+-doped Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 lead-free ceramics

A series of orange-red emitting Sm³⁺ activated Ba_0.85Ca_0.15Ti_0.90Zr_0.10O₃ (BCZT: xSm³⁺, x?=?0.001–0.007) are synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The Sm³⁺ ions composition dependent photoluminescence properties are systematically investigated. Under the excitation of a 407?nm near-ultraviolet light, the ceramics exhibit strong characteristic emission of Sm³⁺ ions with dominant orange-red emission peak at around 595?nm, which is ascribed to the transition of ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_7/2. The BCZT: 0.004Sm³⁺ ceramic displays the optimal emission among these Sm³⁺-doped BCZT solid solutions. Moreover, the photoluminescence intensity exhibits extremely sensitive to temperature, suggesting that BCZT: 0.004Sm³⁺ could be applicable for temperature sensing. A maximum relative sensitivity of 1.89%?K^?1 at 453?K is obtained. Furthermore, the existence of ferroelectricity in the BCZT host combined with Sm³⁺ activated photoluminescence properties could be useful for developing optical-electro multifunctional materials and devices.     

Abnormal thermal quenching behavior and optical properties of a novel apatite-type NaCa3Bi(PO4)3F:Sm3+ orange-red-emitting phosphor for w-LED applications

Novel apatite-type NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:xSm³⁺ (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.30) orange-red-light phosphors were synthesized through the solid-state method at high temperature. The crystal structure, energy band structure, density of state, phase purity, particle morphology, photoluminescence properties, thermostability, and luminescence decay of the phosphors were comprehensively characterized. When λ_ex = 404 nm, the optimal NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:0.05 S m³⁺ phosphor showed the orange-red emission (597 nm). The NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:Sm³⁺ phosphors exhibited abnormal thermal quenching properties as their emission intensity increased by about 2.57% from 300 to 380 K. Their intensity at 440 K was still 1.01-fold stronger than that at room temperature. The abnormal thermal quenching mechanisms were well explained via the coordinate configuration scheme. The thermal activation energy (E_a) was calculated to be 0.79 eV. The color purity of all the phosphors reached 99.9%. Ultimately, a white light-emitting diode (w-LED) was fabricated based on the tri-color RGB method. The color rendering index and the chromaticity coordinates of the fabricated w-LED were 89 and (0.310, 0.319), respectively. Thus, these high thermostability NaCa₃Bi(PO₄)₃F:Sm³⁺ orange-red phosphors can be potentially used in w-LED applications.     

Solar driven photocatalytic properties of Sm3+ doped ZnO nanocrystals

ZnO nanocrystals (NCs) doped with different Sm³⁺ concentrations were prepared by sol gel method. XRD analysis showed that the ZnO:Sm³⁺ NCs crystallized in the hexagonal wurtzite structure with a grain size varying from 61.4 nm to 72.6 nm, with Sm³⁺ concentration. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicated that ZnO NCs adopted a bimodal size distribution. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that Sm ions existed in trivalent state and substituted at the Zn²⁺ sites in the ZnO lattice. Raman spectra highlighted the presence of the LO mode, confirming the successful substitution of Zn²⁺ by Sm³⁺. Excitation and emission spectra highlighted the typical 4f-4f transitions of Sm³⁺. A photoluminescence (PL) quenching accompanied by a decrease of PL lifetime was observed for Sm³⁺ concentrations above 1.5%. The processes of excitation and de-excitation of the Sm³⁺ ions in ZnO NCs were discussed based on dipolar interactions between the excited ions. The ZnO:Sm³⁺ (1.5%) photocatalyst induced complete and fast photodegradation of RhB under sunlight irradiation. The photocatalytic mechanism is discussed based on the analysis of PL lifetimes. The role of oxygen vacancies on the reduction of Sm³⁺ ions and its impact on the photocatalytic process is also discussed.     

Relationship of the different Ca sites in the matrix with luminescence properties of orange‒red emitting Li0.04Ca0.96-xSiO3:Smx phosphors

Li_0.04Ca_0.96-xSiO₃:Sm_x orange?red emitting phosphors were synthesized using the sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction, Rietveld refinement of XRD patterns, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and ?uorescence spectrophotometry were used to characterize the crystal structure, sites of cationic Ca and luminescence properties of the prepared phosphors. The relationship of the different Ca sites in the matrix with the luminescence properties was analysed. The results indicate that the prepared phosphors reveal a β-CaSiO₃ phase with a monoclinic crystal structure and space Group P21/a. As the Sm³⁺ concentration increases, the unit cell volume of phosphors and the Ca–O band lengths of different Ca sites decrease due to substitution of Ca²⁺ by smaller Sm³⁺ ions. By excitation at 404 nm, Li_0.04Ca_0.96-xSiO₃:Sm_x phosphors exhibit warm orange?red light, corresponding to the electron transitions from ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_5/2 (567 nm), ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_7/2 (605 nm) and ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_9/2 (651 nm) of Sm³⁺. The concentration quenching phenomenon appears at Sm³⁺ concentrations beyond 0.02. The refinement results demonstrate that three cationic Ca sites, named Ca1, Ca2 and Ca3, exist in the β-CaSiO₃ host lattice. The Ca²⁺ ions at Ca1 and Ca2 sites are coordinated with six oxygen ions, leading to the same coordination number (CN). The Ca²⁺ ion located at Ca3 site has seven coordination numbers. The Ca1 site possesses a smaller lattice distortion and better symmetry than those of Ca2 and Ca3 sites. However, the Ca3 site exhibits the largest lattice distortion and poor symmetry. The Sm³⁺ present in symmetric Ca1 sites in the matrix illustrates the strong emission intensity, long luminescence lifetimes and good thermal stability.     

Structural and spectroscopic analysis of green glowing down-converted BYO:Er3+ nanophosphors for pc-WLEDs

An energy efficient solution combustion technique was selected for fabricating a series of energy-efficient novel down-converted Ba₃Y₄O₉:Er³⁺ nanoparticles with green emission. Crystal structure engineering along with the morphological aspects was investigated via certain advanced characterizations such as Rietveld refinement and powder X-ray diffractometry (PXRD) procedure, microscopic practices like scanning and transmission electron microscope techniques, photoluminescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopic analysis. Average crystallite size (65.71 nm–74.15 nm) and micro strain (0.0012) of the optimum powder nanomaterial were analyzed from high quality XRD data using Williamson-Hall (W–H) plot method. Alluring spectroscopic features were realized by photoluminescent (PL) spectra recorded upon excitation via near ultraviolet (NUV) source of 381 nm; displaying an intense emission peak (562 nm) situated in the visible region that is solely responsible for the green glow of the prepared phosphor. PL analysis witnessed a bright green emission via a reliable emanation transition (⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2) of Er³⁺ ions. Excellent colorimetric parameters of optimized nanophosphor like CIE coordinates (0.3420, 0.6064), 5356K CCT and 79.02% color purity validated its advanced photonic and optoelectronic applications for cool light emitting WLEDs, lasers, optical sensors, solar and photovoltaic cells.     

Dazzling cool white light emission from Ce3+/Sm3+ activated LBZ glasses for W-LED applications

We synthesized a batch of co-doped (Ce³⁺+Sm³⁺): LBZ glass specimens by melt quenching process and their structural and radiation properties were studied by employing XRD, FE-SEM, optical absorption, photoluminescence and lifetime measurements. UV–Vis–NIR absorption studies of the co-doped (Ce³⁺+Sm³⁺): LBZ glassy matrix displays pertinent bands of both Ce³⁺ and Sm³⁺ ions. Individually doped Sm³⁺: LBZ glass exhibit bright orange emission at 603?nm (⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_7/2) under the excitation of 403?nm. Nevertheless, the luminescence intensities pertaining to Sm³⁺ were extraordinarily increased by co-doping with Ce³⁺ ions to Sm³⁺: LBZ glassy matrices because of energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Sm³⁺. The fluorescence spectra of co-doped (Ce³⁺+Sm³⁺): LBZ exhibits characteristic emission bands of Ce³⁺ (441?nm, blue) and Sm³⁺ (603?nm, reddish orange) under the excitation of 362?nm. Decay curves of Ce³⁺ and Sm³⁺ ions in co-doped glass has been fitted to double exponential nature. The decreasing lifetime of donor ion and rising lifetime of acceptor ion in double doped glass could support the energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Sm³⁺ ions in the host matrix. The CIE coordinates and CCT values were calculated for all the obtained co-doped glassy samples from their luminescence spectra. By adding Ce³⁺ ions to individually doped Sm³⁺: LBZ glass matrix, the emitting color changes from reddish orange to white light which resembles the energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Sm³⁺ ions. These studies, perhaps implied that attained co-doped (Ce³⁺+Sm³⁺): LBZ glassy samples are potential materials for white lighting appliances.     

Photoluminescence investigation of novel reddish-orange phosphor Li2NaBP2O8:Sm3+ with high CP and low CCT

The exploration of appropriate inorganic phosphors with high color purity (CP) and low correlated color temperature (CCT) has always been a hot issue for solid state light applications. In this work, we have developed series of Sm³⁺ doped Li₂NaBP₂O₈ (abbreviated as: LNBP) phosphors by means of the solid state synthesis route. The crystalline phase compositions, micromorphology, valence state of elements as well as photoluminescence properties were systematically illustrated. Upon the excitation wavelength at 400?nm, emission peaks are located at 561，597，643 and 699?nm, corresponding to the ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_5/2, ⁶H_7/2, ⁶H_9/2 and ⁶H_11/2 transitions of Sm³⁺ in the same order. The optimal doping amount of Sm³⁺ ions is 2?mol% for the reddish-orange photoluminescence of the LNBP:Sm³⁺ phosphor system. The critical energy transfer distance, mechanism of concentration quenching, CIE chromaticity coordinate, CP, CCT and internal quantum efficiency were extensively investigated. The title product might be considered as a promising candidate of phosphor in near UV-based warm white LEDs.     

Charge transfer band excitation of La3NbO7:Sm3+ phosphors induced abnormal thermal quenching toward high-sensitivity thermometers

Different luminescent behaviors of La₃NbO₇:Sm³⁺ phosphors under the excitations of charge transfer band (CTB, 250 nm) and featured absorption peak (⁶H_5/2 → ⁴H_7/2, 405 nm) of Sm³⁺ ions were demonstrated. Under the excitation wavelength of 405 nm, the optimal La₃NbO₇:0.1Sm³⁺ phosphor exhibited an orange-red emission while the chromatic coordinate was found to be (0.609, 0.387), which also showed the excellent thermal performance, exhibiting its emission intensity of about 90.67% at 423 K with respect to 303 K. In the case of CTB excitation, the La₃NbO₇:0.1Sm³⁺ phosphor emitted an orange-yellow region with the chromaticity coordinate of (0.540, 0.443), and the emission intensity was stronger than the above one (λ_ex =405 nm) even though the optimized sample would be changed to the La₃NbO₇:0.05Sm³⁺ phosphor. With the increase of temperature, the obtained sample revealed an abnormal thermal quenching phenomenon between the emission peak of the host material and the emission transition of ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_9/2 under the excitation wavelength of 250 nm, which could be suggested to turn into a pair of thermal-couple levels. Therefore, the sensing sensitivity of the obtained sample was further investigated based on the fluorescence intensity ratio theory. Eventually, the absolute and relative sensing sensitivities of the La₃NbO₇:0.01Sm³⁺ phosphor were estimated to be as high as 5.379 × 10⁻² K⁻¹ and 1.60% K⁻¹, respectively.     

Cross Relaxation of Sm3+ and Energy Transfer Between Sm3+ and Eu3+ Ions in (Ca0.97Sr0.03)3(VO4)2 Phosphor Host

An attempt was made to verify that the inhibition of Sm³⁺→Eu³⁺ energy transfer in (Ca_0.97Sr_0.03)_2.82(VO₄)₂:Sm³⁺,0.12Eu³⁺ phosphors at Sm³⁺ content levels of >0.06 mol can be ascribed to the cross‐relaxation effect. The emission peak at around 951 nm attributed to the ⁶F_11/2→⁶H_5/2 transition of Sm³⁺, which should be barely detectable according to the energy‐gap law, was observed in this work by exciting the ⁴K_11/2 state of Sm^3 + . The results indicate that cross‐relaxation channels, which can depopulate the ⁴F_3/2 state of Sm³⁺, such as 1st Sm³⁺ (⁴F_3/2) + 2nd Sm³⁺ (⁶H_5/2)→1st Sm³⁺ (⁶F_11/2) + 2nd Sm³⁺ (⁶F_5/2) and 1st Sm³⁺ (⁴F_3/2) + 2nd Sm³⁺ (⁶H_5/2)→1st Sm³⁺ (⁶F_5/2) + 2nd Sm³⁺ (⁶F_11/2), may form and become efficient at an Sm³⁺ doping level of ≧0.06 mol. It was found that the 951‐nm emission suffered from concentration quenching, which resulted from a dipole–dipole multipolar interaction.     

Photoluminescence properties of a double perovskite tungstate based red-emitting phosphor NaLaMgWO6:Sm3+

In this work, the conventional solid-state method was applied to synthesize a series of red-emitting NaLaMgWO₆:Sm³⁺ phosphors. The crystal structure, phase purity, morphology, particle size distribution as well as elemental composition of the as-prepared phosphors were investigated carefully with the aid of XRD, SEM, EDS, FT-IR analyses, indicating the high-purity and micron-sized NaLaMgWO₆:Sm³⁺ phosphors with monoclinic structure were prepared successfully. The spectroscopic properties of Sm³⁺ in NaLaMgWO₆ host including UV–vis diffuse reflection spectrum, photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, decay curves, chromaticity coordinates and internal quantum efficiency were investigated in detail. Upon excitation with UV (290 nm) and n-UV (406 nm), NaLaMgWO₆:Sm³⁺ phosphor presented red emission corresponding to the ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_J (J = 5/2, 7/2, 9/2, and 11/2) transitions of Sm³⁺, in which the hypersensitive electronic dipole transition ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_9/2 (645 nm) was with the strongest emission intensity because Sm³⁺ ions were located at a lattice site with anti-inversion symmetry. The optimal concentration of Sm³⁺ was different for the given excitation wavelength such as 290 nm and 406 nm, which was interpreted by the extra effect of the energy transfer from W⁶⁺-O^2- group to Sm³⁺. The decay lifetime for ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_9/2 transition of Sm³⁺ was very short (< 1 ms) and decreased with the increasing Sm³⁺ concentration. The present investigation indicates that NaLaMgWO₆:Sm³⁺ phosphor could be a potential red component for application in w-LEDs.     

Photoluminescence of Tb3+/Sm3+ ions co-activated in SrO - Na2O - WO3 - tellurite glasses for multicolor laser applications

A novel series of Tb³⁺, Sm³⁺ single doped and Tb³⁺/Sm³⁺ co-incorporated tungsten tellurite glasses were synthesized by melt quenching technique and corresponding structural as well as luminescence features of the prepared glasses have been reported here. Spectral overlapping between the luminescence spectra of Tb³⁺ ions and the excitation spectra of Sm³⁺ ions manifests that the energy transfer process takes place from Tb³⁺ ions to Sm³⁺ ions. By using the dual excitations at 377 and 484 nm, the titled co-doped glasses emit green light of wavelength 542 nm along with reddish – orange colour light at 599 nm. In addition to this, there is no possibility of reverse energy transfer which is validated with the help of excitation at 403 nm (Sm³⁺ ions) as major evidence. The lifetimes of all co-doped glasses decline with increasing Tb³⁺ doping level in the ligand matrices, indicating the energy migration process takes place from Tb³⁺→ Sm³⁺. The chromaticity coordinates of all synthesized co-doped glasses lie in yellowish-orange region of CIE1931 diagram and it shifts to deep yellow region when Tb³⁺ ion concentration varies. Our findings propose that the titled glasses can be used as visible laser materials for multicolor laser applications.