Low temperature synthesis and enhancement of blue emitting CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ phosphor by co-doping

Near UV excitable blue emitting Eu2+ activated CaMgSi2O6 phosphor has been synthesized by urea assisted pyrolysis technique. The effects of flux (H3BO3, NH4F, NH4Br, NH4Cl, CaF2, BaF2), sintering temperature (700–1100 °C), activator concentrations and co-dopants (Zn2+, Y3+, Al3+ and Gd3+) on the photoluminescence properties of CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ were studied systematically. Zn2+, Y3+, Al3+ and Gd3+ co-doped CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ phosphors improved the PL intensity and also exhibited a wide excitation band in the region of 250–420 nm, and emission at 447 nm found suitable for nUV based white LED applications. The PL emission intensity of Y3+ co-doped CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ is comparable to that of the commercial BaMgAl1O17:Eu2+ blue emitting phosphor. However, Y3+ co-doped CaMgSi2O6:Eu2+ showed a higher thermal quenching when compared with BaMgAl1O17:Eu2+. The crystalline phase formation and morphology of synthesized silicate phosphors were confirmed by powder XRD and SEM analysis.