Mechanism analysis on manipulation of long afterglow luminescence properties of Y3Al5-xGaxO12:Ce3+, Cr3+ phosphors.

Blue-light activated long afterglow luminescence phosphors have attracted much attention because of their potential application in many fields. Herein, the influence of trap depth and the quantity of electrons captured by the traps on the long afterglow luminescence properties were systematically revealed through a comparative analysis of the long afterglow luminescence performance of the series of Y 3 Al 5-x Ga x O 12 (YAGG):Ce3+, Cr3+ (x = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) phosphors. To achieve long afterglow luminescence, it requires that the traps can effectively capture electrons, and possess an appropriate trap depth. Additionally, it is discovered that the quantity of electrons captured by the traps is the main factor affecting the duration of long afterglow luminescence. The more electrons are captured, the longer the afterglow lasts. The quantity of trapped electrons is inversely proportional to the energy differences between CB M -Ce 5d and trap depth. The sample exhibits the high quantity of trapped electrons attributable to its small energy differences which allows electrons to be directly captured by traps through the tunneling effect. On this basis, the effects of crystal field splitting (ε cfs), centroid shift (ε c), and the degree of dodecahedral distortion (D (YO)) on trap depth (E T) were discussed to manipulate the trap depth, demonstrating there is a significant positive correlation between ε c -ε cfs (2(1-10D(YO))) and E T values for the garnet structure A 3 B 2 C 3 O 12 , when the ion doped at the A-position remains constant and the ions at the B and C positions vary. Notably, A larger D (YO) value corresponds to a deeper trap depth. This study provides a new perspective toward the development and design of long afterglow materials with superior afterglow emission. • The effect of trap depth and the quantity of trapped electrons in mechanism processes of persistent luminescence properties were systematically demonstrated. • The quantity of trapped electrons is inversely proportional to the energy differences between CB M -Ce 5d and trap depth. • A mathematical model is developed to reveal the effects of crystal field splitting (ε cfs), centroid shift (ε c), and the degree of dodecahedral distortion (D (YO)) on trap depth (E T) to manipulate the trap depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]