Luminescence in LiCaPO4

Phase pure LiCaPO₄ was prepared by following a specific procedure involving several annealing steps, not exceeding the temperature 800 °C at any stage. Luminescence of Cu⁺ and Eu²⁺ activators is studied. A single emission band is observed for both the activators in contrast to two bands reported in earlier literature. It is argued that in the earlier work the samples were contaminated by alpha Ca₃(PO₄)₂ phase, which could be responsible for these differences. Thermoluminescence of LiCaPO₄:Eu²⁺ was found to be four times more than the commercial phosphor LiF-TLD 100. Phase pure LiCaPO₄ shows interesting luminescence properties different than those reported in the literature and hence it should prove fruitful to probe this material in future.