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

The single-phase Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 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 Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3. The photoluminescence emission (PL) and excitation (PLE) spectra, lifetime decay behavior and thermal stability of the Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 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 Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3 matrix, which is discussed in detail in this paper. Compared with Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3 :1%Tb3+ sample, the luminous intensity of Tb3+ increased about 3.2 and 4.1 times for Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3 :2%Ce3+,1%Tb3+ monitored at 342 and 313 nm, respectively. Energy transfer (ET) mechanism of Ce3+→Tb3+ were dipole-dipole interactions and quadrupole-quadrupole interactions at Ce3+(1) and Ce3+(2) sites, respectively. The temperature-dependent PL spectra of Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 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 Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3 :2%Ce3+,6%Tb3+ phosphor and commercial red Sr 2 Si 5 N 8 :Eu2+ phosphor, which showed bright warm-white light. These conclusions proved that the green Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3 :2%Ce3+,6%Tb3+ phosphor is desirable for white LED applications. • Ce3+ ions occupied at Ba and Sc3+ sites for Ba 3 Sc(BO 3) 3 :Ce3+ emit blue light. • Broader absorption band (200–400 nm) matches well with the n-UV LED chips. • Decay curves prove the existence of multiple sites energy transfer of Ce3+.→Tb3+. • Color tuning from blue to green is successfully realized by the energy transfer. • Luminous intensity and thermal stability are increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]