UVB emission from sol-gel derived Gd3+-doped CaLa4Si3O13 phosphor.

CaLa 4 Si 3 O 13 phosphors were successfully prepared by the sol-gel method by incorporating different amounts of Gd3+ ions as dopant. The crystalline phase and compositional arrangement of the host lattice were elucidated by XRD and FT-IR. The crystal sizes of the prepared samples were evaluated using the Scherrer formula. The luminescent properties of the CaLa 4 Si 3 O 13 :Gd3+ phosphors were studied by using PL spectroscopy. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the sample revealed resonance signals arising on account of Gd3+ ion occupancy at sites with low symmetry. The studies conducted for the prepared samples confirmed that Gd3+ ions in the CaLa 4 Si 3 O 13 matrix are useful as UVB emitters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]