Photo and Thermo-luminescence Properties of Mn4+, Ce4+ and Sm3+ in MgAl2Si2O8 Phosphor

Mn4+, Ce4+ and Sm3+ doped MgAl2Si2O8-based phosphors were synthesized at 1300 °C by solid state reaction and characterized by thermogravimetry (TG), differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), thermoluminescence (TL) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The phosphors showed broad red emission bands in the range of 610–715 nm and different maximum intensity when activated by UV illumination. Such a red emission can be attributed to the intrinsic 2E→4A2 transitions of Mn4+.