Synthesis,Persistent Luminescence,and Thermoluminescence Properties of Yellow Sr3SiO5:Eu2+,RE3+ (RE=Ce,Nd, Dy,Ho, Er,Tm, Yb) and Orange‐Red Sr3−xBaxSiO5:Eu2+, Dy3+ Phosphor

Sunlight‐excitable orange or red persistent oxide phosphors with excellent performance are still in great need. Herein, an intense orange‐red Sr_3?xBa_xSiO₅:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺ persistent luminescence phosphor was successfully developed by a two‐step design strategy. The XRD patterns, photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, and the thermoluminescence spectra were investigated in detail. By adding non‐equivalent trivalent rare earth co‐dopants to introduce foreign trapping centers, the persistent luminescence performance of Eu²⁺ in Sr₃SiO₅ was significantly modified. The yellow persistent emission intensity of Eu²⁺ was greatly enhanced by a factor of 4.5 in Sr₃SiO₅:Eu²⁺,Nd³⁺ compared with the previously reported Sr₃SiO₅:Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺. Furthermore, Sr ions were replaced with equivalent Ba to give Sr_3?xBa_xSiO₅:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺ phosphor, which shows yellow‐to‐orange‐red tunable persistent emissions from λ=570 to 591 nm as x is increased from 0 to 0.6. Additionally, the persistent emission intensity of Eu²⁺ is significantly improved by a factor of 2.7 in Sr_3?xBa_xSiO₅:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺ (x=0.2) compared with Sr₃SiO₅:Eu²⁺,Dy³⁺. A possible mechanism for enhanced and tunable persistent luminescence behavior of Eu²⁺ in Sr_3?xBa_xSiO₅:Eu²⁺,RE³⁺ (RE=rare earth) is also proposed and discussed.     

Combustion synthesis and luminescent properties of metal yttrium borates M3Y2 (BO3)4:Eu3+ (M = Ba,Sr) for PDPs applications

The polycrystalline powder samples of Eu³⁺ activated; mixed metal yttrium borate phosphors M₃Y₂(BO₃)₄ (M = Ba, Sr) with improved color purity of red emission for plasma display panels (PDPs) were prepared by solution combustion technique. The synthesis is based up on the exothermic reaction between the fuel (Urea) and oxidizer (Ammonium nitrate) .The heat generated in the reaction is utilized for auto combustion of ingredients. The formation of desired product and crystal structure was confirmed by powder XRD technique; while particle morphology was studied using FE-SEM. Samples under 254 and 147 nm excitation showed intense and pure red emission around 613 nm corresponding to the electric dipole ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺, CIE chromaticity coordinates of synthesized phosphors was found to be (x = 0.67, y = 0.32) close to National Television Standard Committee (NTSC) for red color; found suitable to employ in plasma display panels (PDPs) applications.     

Luminescence Tuning of Sr8MgCe(PO4)7:Eu2+,Mn2+ Phosphors: Structure Refinement,Site Occupancy,and Energy Transfer

Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇:Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺ phosphor with whitlockite‐type structure was prepared by a combustion‐assisted solid‐state reaction. The crystal structure and luminescence properties were investigated. Under UV radiation, Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇ host exhibits a violet‐blue emission band from Ce³⁺ ions. When Eu²⁺/Mn²⁺ are doped into the host, the samples excited with 270 nm UV radiation present multicolor emissions due to the energy transfer (ET) from Ce³⁺ to Eu²⁺/Mn²⁺. The emitting color of Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇:Eu²⁺ can be tuned from violet‐blue to yellow‐green, whereas Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇:Mn²⁺ can emit red light. Under excitation with long wavelength at 360 nm, Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇:Eu²⁺ phosphor shows a broadband emission from 390 to 700 nm, which is attributed to the 4f⁶5d¹→4f⁷ transition of Eu²⁺ without the contribution from Ce³⁺ emission. Tunable full‐color emitting light can be achieved in the Eu²⁺ and Mn²⁺‐codoped Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇ phosphor by ET_Eu–Mn through control of the levels of doped Eu²⁺ and Mn²⁺ ions. These results suggest that Sr₈MgCe(PO₄)₇:Eu²⁺,Mn²⁺ phosphor has potential applications in NUV chip pumped white LEDs.     

Excitation-dependent variation in local symmetry in Ba2Mg(BO3)2 evidenced by Eu3+ luminescent structural probe

Eu³⁺ luminescence was studied in Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ by selectively substituting at Mg site. The parent host Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ and Ba₂Mg_0.9Eu_0.05Li_0.05(BO₃)₂ were synthesized by conventional solid state reaction method. Their isostructural nature was confirmed using powder X-ray diffraction technique. The photoluminescence excitation spectrum of Eu³⁺ exhibited a broad Eu³⁺O²⁻ charge transfer band with a maximum at 253 nm along with other excitation transitions. The emission characteristics of Eu³⁺ were found to be excitation wavelength-dependent. The equally intense magnetic and electric dipole transitions for excitation under longer wavelengths showed the presence of Eu³⁺ at a site with non-inversion symmetry. Excitation using 253 nm resulted in the predominant magnetic dipole transition revealing Eu³⁺ at a site with inversion symmetry. The difference in the relative intensities of magnetic and electric dipole transitions originates from the change in symmetry around Eu³⁺ in Ba₂Mg(BO₃)₂ under different excitations.     

Strong f‐f Excitation and Bright Red Emission in Cd4Gd1‐xEuxO(BO3)3 (0≤x≤1): Near‐UV LED Pumped Red Phosphor with Low Thermal Quenching

Searching efficient red phosphors under near‐UV or blue light excitation is practically important to improve the current white light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs). Eu²⁺‐ and Mn⁴⁺‐based red phosphors have been extensively studied. Here we proposed that Eu³⁺ is also a promising activator when it resides on a noncentrosymmetric coordination site. We proved that Cd₄GdO(BO₃)₃ is a good host, which has a significantly distorted coordination for Eu³⁺. A careful crystallographic study was performed on the solid solutions of Cd₄Gd_1‐xEu_xO(BO₃)₃ (0≤x≤1) by Rietveld refinements. The as‐doped Eu³⁺ cations locate at the Gd³⁺ site and are well separated by CdO₈, CdO₆ and BO₃ groups; thus, only a slight concentration quenching was observed at ≈80 atom % Eu³⁺. Most importantly, the parity‐forbidden law of 4f‐4f transitions for Eu³⁺ are severely depressed, thus the absorptions at ≈393 and ≈465 nm are remarkable. Cd₄Gd_0.2Eu_0.8O(BO₃)₃ can be pumped by a 395 nm LED chip to give a bright red emission, and when mixed with other commercial blue and green phosphors, it can emit the proper white light (0.3657, 0.3613) with a suitable R_a≈87 and correlated colour temperature ≈4326 K. In‐situ photoluminescence study indicated the low thermal quenching of these borate phosphors, especially under 465 nm excitation. Our case proves the practicability to develop near‐UV excited red phosphors in rare‐earth‐containing borates.     

Eu3+掺杂双钙钛矿Sr2CaMoO6橙红色荧光粉的结构特征及其发光性能

采用EDTA-柠檬酸联合配位法制备一系列组成的(Sr1-xEux)2CaMoO6橙红色荧光粉。通过X射线衍射、拉曼光谱、扫描电镜及荧光光谱研究不同Eu3+离子掺杂浓度下Sr2CaMoO6∶Eu3+荧光粉的晶体结构、掺杂位置、形貌及其光致发光性能。Rietveld全谱拟合结果表明:掺杂后样品为(Ca/Mo)O6八面体少量倾斜的空间群为P21/n的正交双钙钛矿结构,随着Eu3+离子共掺杂浓度的增加,样品的晶胞体积减小;Eu3+离子取代八面体间隙的Sr2+位置致使双钙钛矿的T2g(1)拉曼振动模发生蓝移;在近紫外区宽而强电荷迁移带和蓝光激发下,该荧光粉分别发射以Eu3+离子5D0-7F1磁偶极跃迁为主的橙光和以5D0-7F2电偶极跃迁为主的红光,组成为(Sr0.98Eu0.02)2CaMoO6的荧光粉具有最强的橙红光发射强度,是一种潜在的适用于近紫外LED芯片的光转换红光材料。     

Crystal structure of Eu-doped M3MgSi2O8 (M: Ba, Sr, Ca) compounds and their emission properties

Emission properties of Eu²⁺-doped M₃MgSi₂O₈ (M: Ba, Sr, Ca) are discussed in terms of the crystal structure. When Ba²⁺ ions account for over one third of M²⁺ ions, M₃MgSi₂O₈ crystallizes in glaserite-type trigonal structure, while Ba-free compounds crystallize in merwinite-type monoclinic structure. Under UV excitation, the Eu²⁺-doped glaserite-type compounds exhibit an intense blue emission assigned to 5d-4f electron transition at about 435 nm, regardless of the molar ratio of Ba²⁺, Sr²⁺ and Ca²⁺ ions. By contrast, the Eu²⁺-doped merwinite-type compounds show an emission color sensitive to the ratio. A detailed analysis of the emission spectra reveals that the emission chromaticity for the Eu²⁺-doped M₃MgSi₂O₈ is composed of two emission peaks reflecting two different sites accommodating M²⁺ ion.     

A new promising phosphor, Na3La2(BO3)3:Ln (Ln=Eu, Tb)

We present an efficient way to search a host for ultraviolet (UV) phosphor from UV nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. With the guidance, Na₃La₂(BO₃)₃ (NLBO), as a promising NLO material with a broad transparency range and high damage threshold, was adopted as a host material for the first time. The lanthanide ions (Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺)-doped NLBO phosphors have been synthesized by solid-state reaction. Luminescent properties of the Ln-doped (Ln=Tb³⁺, Eu³⁺) sodium lanthanum borate were investigated under UV ray excitation. The emission spectrum was employed to probe the local environments of Eu³⁺ ions in NLBO crystal. For red phosphor, NLBO:Eu, the measured dominating emission peak was at 613 nm, which is attributed to ⁵D₀-⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺. The luminescence indicates that the local symmetry of Eu³⁺ in NLBO crystal lattice has no inversion center. Optimum Eu³⁺ concentration of NLBO:Eu³⁺ under UV excitation with 395 nm wavelength is about 30 mol%. The green phosphor, NLBO:Tb, showed bright green emission at 543 with 252 nm excited light. The measured concentration quenching curve demonstrated that the maximum concentration of Tb³⁺ in NLBO was about 20%. The luminescence mechanism of Ln-doped NLBO (Tb³⁺ and Eu³⁺) was analyzed. The relative high quenching concentration was also discussed.     

Ba3(BO3)(CO3)F: The First Borate Carbonate Fluoride Synthesized by the High-Temperature Solution Method

In contrast to the well-investigated halogen-containing borates and carbonates, very few halogen-containing borate carbonate compounds have been reported. Specifically, no example of borate carbonate fluoride has been synthesized successfully until now. Herein, the planar π-conjugated units [BO₃]³⁻ and [CO₃]²⁻ and the F⁻ ions are introduced simultaneously into one crystal structure resulting in the first borate carbonate fluoride, Ba₃(BO₃)(CO₃)F, by the high-temperature solution method in the atmosphere. Its structure features a hexagonal channel formed by the [BO₃]³⁻ and [CO₃]²⁻ units with the [F₃Ba₈]¹³⁺ trimers filled in the channel. Various characterizations including single crystal- and powder-XRD, EDX, IR, UV-vis-NIR, and TG-DSC, together with the first principles calculation have been carried out to verify the structure and fully understand the structure–property relationships.     

Research on Molecular Structure and Electronic Properties of Ln3+ (Ce3+, Tb3+, Pr3+)/Li+ and Eu2+ Co-Doped Sr2Si5N8 via DFT Calculation

We use density functional theory (DFT) to study the molecular structure and electronic band structure of Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ doped with trivalent lanthanides (Ln³⁺ = Ce³⁺, Tb³⁺, Pr³⁺). Li⁺ was used as a charge compensator for the charge imbalance caused by the partial replacement of Sr²⁺ by Ln³⁺. The doping of Ln lanthanide atom causes the structure of Sr₂Si₅N₈ lattice to shrink due to the smaller atomic radius of Ln³⁺ and Li⁺ compared to Sr²⁺. The doped structure’s formation energy indicates that the formation energy of Li⁺, which is used to compensate for the charge imbalance, is the lowest when the Sr2 site is doped. Thus, a suitable Li⁺ doping site for double-doped lanthanide ions can be provided. In Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺, the doped Ce³⁺ can occupy partly the site of Sr₁²⁺ ([SrN₈]), while Eu²⁺ accounts for Sr₁²⁺ and Sr₂²⁺ ([SrN₁₀]). When the Pr³⁺ ion is selected as the dopant in Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺, Pr³⁺ and Eu²⁺ would replace Sr₂²⁺ simultaneously. In this theoretical model, the replacement of Sr²⁺ by Tb³⁺ cannot exist reasonably. For the electronic structure, the energy level of Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺/Li⁺ doped with Ce³⁺ and Pr³⁺ appears at the bottom of the conduction band or in the forbidden band, which reduces the energy bandgap of Sr₂Si₅N₈. We use DFT+U to adjust the lanthanide ion 4f energy level. The adjusted 4f-CBM of Ce_Sr1Li_Sr1-Sr₂Si₅N₈ is from 2.42 to 2.85 eV. The energy range of 4f-CBM in Pr_Sr1Li_Sr1-Sr₂Si₅N₈ is 2.75–2.99 eV and its peak is 2.90 eV; the addition of Ce³⁺ in Eu_Sr1Ce_Sr1Li_Sr1 made the 4f energy level of Eu²⁺ blue shift. The addition of Pr³⁺ in Eu_Sr2Pr_Sr2Li_Sr1 makes part of the Eu²⁺ 4f energy level blue shift. Eu²⁺ 4f energy level in Eu_Sr2Ce_Sr1Li_Sr1 is not in the forbidden band, so Eu²⁺ is not used as the emission center.     

Optical Spectroscopy and Excited-State Dynamics of Eu3+-Doped Bismuth Borate Glasses Containing CuO

Bismuth borate glasses containing phosphors and luminescent rare-earths are of interest for applications in light-emitting devices. Herein, the influence of CuO impurities on red-emitting Eu³⁺-doped bismuth borate glasses of the 25Bi₂O₃-15BaO-10Li₂O-50B₂O₃ type was investigated by various spectroscopic methods. The glasses were prepared by the melt-quench technique and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, UV/Vis optical absorption (OA), and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy including decay kinetics assessment. The XRD data confirmed the amorphous nature of the glasses whereas FT-IR spectra indicated the basic structural features of trigonal BO₃ units and BO₄ tetrahedra. The OA analysis showed that addition of CuO up to 0.5 mol% results in significant growth of the visible Cu²⁺ absorption band around 715 nm, with slight decrease in the optical band gap energies assessed through Tauc plots. A drastic PL quenching of Eu³⁺ ions emission was evidenced concurring with the detrimental effect of Cu²⁺. The assessment of the Eu³⁺ emission decay curves revealed significant lifetime decrease of the ⁵D₀ emitting state with increasing CuO concentration. An analysis of quenching constants was finally performed comparing results from integrated PL data with the emission decay rates. It is argued that the bismuth borate glass system supports an effective Eu³⁺→Cu²⁺ energy transfer (more so than phosphates) in connection with a strong spectral overlap between Eu³⁺ emission and Cu²⁺ absorption.     

(Ca,Me)La4Si3O13:Eu3+(Me=Sr,Ba)荧光粉的结构和发光特性

采用高温固相法制备了(Ca,Me)La4Si3O13∶Eu3+(Me=Sr,Ba)系列红色荧光体,考察了Eu3+掺杂浓度和Sr2+,Ba2+置换对荧光体结构和发光特性的影响。Eu3+最佳掺杂浓度为nEu3+∶nLa3+=1∶7,5D0-7F2与5D0-7F1跃迁发射强度比为2.55。Eu3+掺杂使晶胞参数a和c呈线性变小,对c的影响大于a,使a/c比增大。Sr2+和Ba2+分别置换基质中的Ca2+可以形成完全固溶体,晶胞参数随Sr2+或Ba2+的置换量增加呈线性增大,使a/c比减小。各发射峰强度在Sr2+置换量为0.4 mol时出现极大值,但随Ba2+置换量的增加而不断增强,全置换后荧光强度最大。荧光体的色坐标为(0.638 5,0.353 0)。     

An alkoxide cluster with 18 Li+ ions encapsulating two borate anions, [(tBuO)12Li18(BO3)2]

The title compound, bis­(borato)­dodeca(tert‐butoxo)­octa­deca­lithium, [Li₁₈(BO₃)₂(C₄H₉O)₁₂], is formulated conveniently as [{(^tBuOLi)₃(Li₃BO₃)}₂(^tBuOLi)₆]. A central 12‐membered ring and two outer six‐membered rings are formed by alternating Li⁺ cations and alkoxide O atoms. Sandwiched between the central ring and each of the outer rings is a planar array of three further Li⁺ cations surrounding a [BO₃]³⁻ anion. Thus, the mol­ecule consists of a cationic [Li₁₈(O^tBu)₁₂]⁶⁺ cage encapsulating two borate anions. This compound is the first example of a structurally characterized polynuclear lithium borate, and a rare case of a lithium alkoxide cage with nuclearity greater than eight. All the alkoxide ligands are triply bridging, and the lithium ions have trigonal‐planar, trigonal‐pyramidal and fourfold coordination, all with major distortions from regular coordination geometry.     

La7O6(BO3)(PO4)2:Eu3+/Tb3+荧光材料的制备及其光致发光性能

采用优化的高温固相方法制备了稀土离子Eu³⁺和Tb³⁺掺杂的La₇O₆（BO₃）（PO₄）₂系荧光材料,并对其物相行为、晶体结构、光致发光性能和热稳定性进行了详细研究。结果表明,La₇O₆（BO₃）（PO₄）₂：Eu³⁺材料在紫外光激发下能够发射出红光,发射光谱中最强发射峰位于616 nm处,为⁵D₀→⁷F₂特征能级跃迁,Eu³⁺的最优掺杂浓度为0.08,对应的CIE坐标为（0.610 2,0.382 3）;La₇O₆（BO₃）（PO₄）₂：Tb³⁺材料在紫外光激发下能够发射出绿光,发射光谱中最强发射峰位于544 nm处,对应Tb³⁺的⁵D₄→⁷F₅能级跃迁,Tb³⁺离子的最优掺杂浓度为0.15,对应的CIE坐标为（0.317 7,0.535 2）。此外,对2种材料的变温光谱分析发现Eu³⁺和Tb³⁺掺杂的La₇O₆（BO₃）（PO₄）₂荧光材料均具有良好的热稳定性。     

Luminescent properties and energy transfer process of Sm3+-Eu3+ co-doped MY2(MoO4)4 (M=Ca,Sr and Ba) red-emitting phosphors

MY₂(MoO₄)₄:Sm³⁺ and MY₂(MoO₄)₄:xSm³⁺,yEu³⁺ (M=Ca, Sr and Ba) phosphors were successfully prepared using solid-state reaction route, and their luminescent properties and energy transfer process from Sm³⁺ to Eu³⁺ were systematically investigated. The results indicate that MY₂(MoO₄)₄:Sm³⁺ phosphors can be effectively excited by 407 nm near UV light originating from the ⁶H_5/2 → ⁴F_7/2 transition of Sm³⁺, and exhibit a satisfactory red emission at 646 nm attributed to the ⁴G_5/2 → ⁶H_9/2 transition of Sm³⁺, in which the emission intensity of SrY₂(MoO₄)₄:Sm³⁺ is the strongest among the MY₂(MoO₄)₄:Sm³⁺ (M=Ca, Sr and Ba) phosphors. For Eu³⁺ co-doped MY₂(MoO₄)₄:Sm³⁺ samples, with increasing Eu³⁺ doping content, the main emission peaks of Sm³⁺ (approximately 646 nm) are decreased, but the emission peaks and intensity of Eu³⁺ are increased while the maximum intensity of luminescence at the Eu³⁺ concentration 0.9. The introduction of Eu³⁺ in the MY₂(MoO₄)₄:Sm³⁺ phosphors can remarkably generate a strong emission line at 616 nm, originating from the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ and Sm³⁺ (⁴G_5/2) → Eu³⁺ (⁵D₀) effective energy transfer process. The energy transfer mechanism from Sm³⁺ to Eu³⁺ was discussed in detail.     

Pb2BO3I: A Borate Iodide with the Largest Second‐Harmonic Generation (SHG) Response in the KBe2BO3F2 (KBBF) Family of Nonlinear Optical (NLO) Materials

Borate halides are an ideal materials class from which to design high‐performance nonlinear optical (NLO) materials. Currently, borate fluorides, chlorides, and bromides are extensively investigated while borate iodide materials discovery remains rare because of the perceived synthetic challenges. We report a new borate iodide, Pb₂BO₃I, synthesized by a straightforward hydrothermal method. The Pb₂BO₃I chemical formula conceals that the compound exhibits a structure similar to the well‐established KBe₂BO₃F₂ (KBBF), which we show supports the highest second‐harmonic generation (SHG) at 1064 nm in the KBBF family, 10 × KH₂PO₄ (KDP), arising from the inclusion of Pb²⁺ and I^? and the crystal chemistry. Our work shows that KBBF‐related compounds can be synthesized incorporating iodide and exhibit superior NLO responses.     

Study of the cation distributions in Eu doped Sr2Y8(SiO4)6O2 by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescent spectra

The crystal structure and photoluminescent properties of europium doped silicate Sr₂Y₈(SiO₄)₆O₂:Eu³⁺ are reported. The Sr₂Y_8−xEu_x(SiO₄)₆O₂ compounds have typical apatite crystal structures with the P6₃/m space group. The distributions of Eu³⁺ between the two crystallographic sites 4f and 6h in the apatite structure are investigated by the powder X-ray diffraction and Rietveld refinement. Results show that Eu³⁺ ions only occupy the 4f sites when the Eu doping concentration is low (x=0-0.5 in Sr₂Y_8−xEu_x(SiO₄)₆O₂). However, in higher concentrations, Eu³⁺ ions begin to enter the 6h sites as well. The distributions of the Eu³⁺ are also reflected in photoluminescent spectra. The CIE coordinates for Sr₂Y₆Eu₂(SiO₄)₆O₂ are (0.63, 0.37), which is close to the pure red color.     

Reinvestigation and Characterization of the Magnesium Borate Fluoride Mg5(BO3)F

The magnesium borate fluoride Mg₅(BO₃)₃F was grown by spontaneous crystallization with molten flux based on the MgF₂‐LiF‐Na₂CO₃‐H₃BO₃ solvent. Structure solution from single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction shows that the title compound crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma (No. 62) with cell dimensions of a = 10.068(5) Å, b = 14.858(7) Å, c = 4.540(2) Å and Z = 4. Its structure features a three‐dimensional (3D) Mg‐O‐F framework composed of MgO₅F and MgO₆ polyhedra and isolated BO₃ groups. The detailed structure comparison referred to Mg₅(BO₃)₃F, Mg₃BO₃F₃ and β‐Mg₂BO₃F was carried out. The infrared spectrum (IR) and the bond valence sum (BVS) calculations of Mg₅(BO₃)₃F verify the validity of the structure. The calculated band structure and the density of states of Mg₅(BO₃)₃F suggest that its indirect bandgap is 5.27 eV. The compound was additionally investigated by UV/Vis‐NIR diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and thermal analysis.     

Effect of Sr2+ doping on the luminescence properties of YVO4:Eu3+,Sr2+ particles prepared by a solvothermal method

Well-dispersed Eu³⁺ and Sr²⁺ co-doped YVO₄ luminescent particles (YVO₄:Eu³⁺,Sr²⁺) on the submicron scale were prepared by a facile solvothermal method at low temperature. The effect of Sr²⁺ doping on the luminescence of YVO₄:Eu³⁺,Sr²⁺ particles was investigated by fixing the Eu³⁺ doping concentration at 7 mol%. It was found that the luminescence intensity of the as-prepared YVO₄:Eu³⁺,Sr²⁺ particles increased with the Sr²⁺ doping concentration x to reach a two-fold enhancement when x = 5 %, and then decreased for higher x. We also investigated the effect of thermal annealing on the luminescence properties of the YVO₄:Eu³⁺ and YVO₄:Eu³⁺,Sr²⁺ particles. A remarkable enhancement in their luminescence properties was observed after annealing at 900 °C in air for 30 min. It was showed that the annealed YVO₄:Eu³⁺,Sr²⁺ particles exhibited a two-fold stronger emission than the annealed YVO₄:Eu³⁺. This work indicates that Sr²⁺ doping is beneficial to the luminescence enhancement for both the as-prepared and annealed YVO₄:Eu³⁺,Sr²⁺ particles.     

Tunable photoluminescence of NaYF4:Eu nanocrystals by Sr codoping

NaYF₄:Eu/Sr nanocrystals were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. Tunable photoluminescence of the NaYF₄:Eu nanocrystals was successfully achieved by codoping with Sr²⁺ ions. With increasing Sr²⁺ concentration, not only the X-ray diffraction peaks of the nanocrystals become broader, but also the positions of them shift toward larger lattice parameters. Eu³⁺ and Eu²⁺ have been found to coexist in an NaYF₄:Eu/Sr. The Eu³⁺/Eu²⁺ emission intensity ratio changed with the Sr²⁺ concentration and excitation wavelength. More interestingly, the spectral configurations of Eu²⁺ and Eu³⁺ also varied with the excitation wavelength, indicating that the nanocrystals have multiple luminescence centers or emitting states.