Synthesis, luminescence and EPR studies on CaSiO3: Pb, Mn-nano phosphors synthesized by the solution combustion method

Nano-ceramic phosphor CaSiO3 doped with Pb and Mn was synthesized by the low temperature solution combustion method. The materials were characterized by Powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermo-gravimetric and Differential Thermal Analysis (TG-DTA), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). The Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectrum of the investigated sample exhibits a broad resonance signal centered at g = 1.994. The number of spins participating in resonance (N) and its paramagnetic susceptibility (chi) have been evaluated. Photoluminescence of doped CaSiO3 was investigated when excited by UV radiation of 256 nm. The phosphor exhibits an emission peak at 353 nm in the UV range due to Pb2+. Further, a broad emission peak in the visible range 550-625 nm can be attributed to T-4(1)->(6)A(1) transition of Mn2+ ions. The investigation reveals that doping perovskite nano-ceramics with transition metal ions leads to excellent phosphor materials for potential applications. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved.