Microstructural, luminescence properties and Judd-Ofelt analysis of Eu3+ activated K2Zr(PO4)2 phosphor for lighting and display applications

A series of light emitting K2Zr(PO4)(2) [KZP] phosphors activated with Eu3+ were synthesized through a conventional solid state reaction method. The phase structure, luminescence properties and decay lifetime of the prepared samples were analyzed in detailed. Photo-luminescence (PL) spectra exhibit five emission bands under the excitation at 394 nm. Furthermore, the optimal doping concentration of Eu3+ ion was determined as 2 mol% and the mechanism of energy transfer between two adjacent Eu3+ ions was dominated by the dipole-dipole (d-d) interaction. The omega(2) and omega(4) parameters were estimated for phosphate phosphors using Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory from the emission spectra. The derived and radiative parameters were also predicted from PL spectra for the prepared phosphors to check their applicability in lasing and photonic applications. The possible lattice sites occupied by Eu3+ ions were investigated using the fitting function type of decay curves. The calculated CIE chromaticity coordinate of KZP: Eu3+ (2 mol%) phosphor verified that its emission light was traced in the pinkish-red zone. Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) properties of synthesized samples were also explained in terms of glow curve and kinetic parameters. The aforesaid results revealed that the KZP: Eu3+ phosphors could be potential candidate for solid state lightning and display systems.