Luminescence and thermal-quenching properties of silicate-based red-emitting K4CaSi3O9:Eu3+ phosphor

A series of novel silicate-based red-emitting K4Ca1−xSi3O9:xEu3+ (x = 0.01–0.30) phosphors were successfully synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state reaction method for the first time. The compounds were crystallized in the cubic structure with the space group Pa\(\overline {3}\). The photoluminescence spectrum of K4CaSi3O9:Eu3+ phosphor shows four peaks assigned to the 5D0–7FJ (J = 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) transitions of Eu3+ upon 396 nm excitation. Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters and CIE were calculated from the photoluminescence data. The quenching temperature for K4CaSi3O9:0.30Eu3+ was estimated to be above 500 K. The superior thermal stability can be attributed to the rigid structure of the host. The good color saturation and high thermal stability indicate that K4CaSi3O9:Eu3+ phosphor is a potential candidate for light-emitting diodes.