Photoluminescence properties of Eu in lithium titanate

Lithium titanate ceramics doped with Eu were synthesized and their photoluminescence (PL) and emission spectral characteristics were investigated. PL spectra of the sample showed peaks corresponding to the ⁵D₀→⁷F_J (J=0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) transitions under 230 nm excitation. The fluorescence lifetimes of Eu³⁺ ions were found out to be 645 μs. Strong red emission coming from the hypersensitive ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ ion suggested the presence of the dopant ion in highly asymmetric environment. Further analysis of the emission spectrum revealed that the symmetry of the metal ion is very low i.e. C₂. The emission intensity of the sample was compared with a commercial phosphor to get an idea about the commercial utility of the phosphor. Various emission properties for the system namely Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters, spontaneous emission probabilities, branching ratios, radiative lifetimes and quantum efficiency were evaluated for the dopant ion by adopting standard procedure.