Structure, luminescence properties and energy transfer of terbium and samarium co-doped barium based apatite phosphor with tunable emission colour

Ba2La2.85-xTb0.15Smx(SiO4)(3)F (BLSOF:0.15Tb(3+),xSm(3+)) is a polychromatic phosphor with an apatite structure that was manufactured through a solid-state process. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) were utilized to examine the phosphor's phase and morphology. Using the Rietveld technique, the as-prepared phosphor structure was validated. By progressively raising the doping contents of the samarium, the phosphors emitted multicoloured luminescence from short to long wavelengths as indicated by analysis of the optical performance. Overall, the data provide strong evidence that the transfer of energy in BLSOF:0.15Tb(3+),xSm(3+) is responsible for the phosphor's colour-tunable property.