Self-activated afterglow luminescence of un-doped Ca2ZrSi4O12 material and explorations of new afterglow phosphors in a rare earth element-doped Ca2ZrSi4O12 system

Un-doped Ca₂ZrSi₄O₁₂ material is prepared using a solid state reaction and it emits intense green afterglow luminescence peaking at 490 nm. The afterglow luminescence can be recorded for about 4800 s (0.32 mcd m⁻²). The thermoluminescence revealed that at least four types of traps existed in the Ca₂ZrSi₄O₁₂ material and the depths of these traps were calculated. The contributions of these traps on the afterglow luminescence were also investigated in detail. Accordingly, a possible afterglow mechanism of Ca₂ZrSi₄O₁₂ was proposed. Moreover, Ca₂ZrSi₄O₁₂ was also doped by rare earth or metal ions for developmental purpose and we arrived at some useful conclusions according to the experimental results.