Persistent luminescence of cadmium silicates

The effect of the band gap on the persistent luminescence of cadmium meta- and orthosilicates was studied with VUV–UV–vis photoluminescence and x-ray absorption spectroscopies (XANES and EXAFS). The narrower band gap of Cd2SiO4 is favourable for persistent luminescence from Pr3+ but not from Tb3+ due to the trivalent rare-earth energy level positions in the band gap.