Structural, optical, luminescence properties and energy transfer mechanism of Tb3+/Eu3+co-doped SrLa2(MoO4)4 phosphors produced by sol-gel process

Abstract Tb 3+ /Eu 3+ co-doped SrLa 2 (MoO 4 ) 4 have been synthesized using the sol-gel process. The as-produced light-emitting phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), differential thermal analysis (DTA)/thermogravimetric analysis (TG), optical absorption spectra, radioluminescence (RL), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The effect of Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ doping concentrations on the RL and PL intensity of host material was analyzed in details. Furthermore, the energy transfer mechanism based on RL spectra were determined of Tb 3+ /Eu 3+ co-doped SrLa 2 (MoO 4 ) 4 phosphors. When the samples excited by X-ray, the SrLa 2 (MoO 4 ) 4 phosphors exhibit characteristic emissions of Tb 3+ (489, 544, 586, 620 and 675 nm) and Eu 3+ (545, 592, 614, 650 and 700 nm). Also, similar emissions are observed in the results of PL spectra, when the samples excited by 488 nm. The host material has excellent energy transfer efficiency for lanthanide ions. In addition, the luminescence spectra indicated that the energy transfer is also effective between from Tb 3+ to Eu 3+ and vice versa. The CIE parameters are calculated to characterize the color emission. Under UV excitation, the synthesized materials display different color from green to red. Based on the results, the SrLa 2 (MoO 4 ) 4 :Eu 3+ ,Tb 3+ phosphors may be potential candidates for light-emitting diode.