Luminescent properties of Ce in MSO4 (M: Ca, Sr and Ba) and the effect of Na co-doping

The optical properties of Ce³⁺ in CaSO₄, SrSO₄ and BaSO₄ are reported. The Ce³⁺ ion shows 4f⁰5d¹→²F_5/2,²F_7/2 luminescence in all three sulphates. Co-doping with Na⁺ does not change the local surrounding of the Ce³⁺ ion, but enhances the amount of Ce³⁺ ions built in. Under optical excitation, besides the typical Ce³⁺ doublet emission in the ultraviolet spectral region, band emission around 445 nm was observed. This band emission was not assigned to emission from a Ce³⁺ centre, but to emission from an impurity-trapped exciton. Under X-ray excitation, both Ce³⁺ emission and an emission band around 380 nm was observed. This band was assigned to emission from a self-trapped exciton.