The photoluminescence, thermal properties and tunable color of bright green-emitting Ba3Sc(BO3)3:Ce3+/Tb3+ phosphors via efficient energy transfer

The single-phase Ba3Sc(BO3)(3):Ce3+/Tb3+ samples were synthetized via high-temperature solid-state reaction. X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinement and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used for characterizing the morphology and phase purity of Ba3Sc(BO3)(3). The photoluminescence emission (PL) and excitation (PLE) spectra, lifetime decay behavior and thermal stability of the Ba3Sc(BO3)(3):Ce3+/Tb3+ phosphors were discussed in detail. Site occupation of Ce3+ ions in Ba2+ and Sc3+ sites were explained through Gaussian fitting and Van Uitert empirical equation. All these properties are closely related to the intrinsic crystallization structure of the Ba3Sc(BO3)(3) matrix, which is discussed in detail in this paper. Compared with Ba3Sc(BO3)(3):1%Tb3+ sample, the luminous intensity of Tb3+ increased about 3.2 and 4.1 times for Ba3Sc(BO3)(3):2%Ce3+,1%Tb3+ monitored at 342 and 313 nm, respectively. Energy transfer (ET) mechanism of Ce-3(+)-> Tb3+ were dipole-dipole interactions and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions at Ce3+(1) and Ce3+(2) sites, respectively. The temperature-dependent PL spectra of Ba3Sc(BO3)(3): Ce3+,Tb3+ illustrated that this phosphor possesses excellent thermal stability and chromaticity stability. Finally, a white LED device was prepared via the combination of the n-UV chip (365 nm), commercial blue BAM:Eu2+ phosphor, green Ba3Sc(BO3)(3):2%Ce3+,6%Tb3+ phosphor and commercial red Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ phosphor, which showed bright warm-white light. These conclusions proved that the green Ba3Sc(BO3)(3):2%Ce3+,6%Tb3+ phosphor is desirable for white LED applications. (C) 2020 Published by Elsevier B.V.