Facile sol-gel combustion synthesis and photoluminescence enhancement of CaZrO3:Sm3+ nanophosphors via Gd3+ doping

CaZrO3:Sm and CaZrO3:Sm, Gd nanophosphors were synthesized by a facile and efficient sol-gel combustion method. Their structure and optical properties were studied. The photoluminesce (PL) results showed that the phosphor could be efficiently excited by irradiation at wavelengths in the visible light region (350-430 nm). The CaZrO3:Sm nanophosphor exhibited strong yellow-green, orange and red emissions with peak wavelength centered at 565 nm ((4)G(5/2) -> H-6(5/2)), 601 nm ((4)G(5/2) -> H-6(7/2)) and 645 nm ((4)G(5/2) -> H-6(9/2)), respectively. The incorporation of Gd3+ ions could greatly improve the luminescence intensity. The highest emission intensity was observed with 2 mol.% Gd3+ doped CaZrO3:3 mol.% Sm powder. The material had potential application in the development of materials for LED's and other optical devices in the visible region.