Photoluminescence properties and energy transfer of Sr3Sc(BO3)3: Eu3+, Bi3+ phosphors

A number of orange-red Sr 3 Sc(BO 3 ) 3 phosphors with Eu 3+ single-doping and Eu 3+ , Bi 3+ co-doping were successfully made using the high-temperature solid-state method. The morphology and composition of the samples were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high-angle annular dark field (HAADF), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Excitation and emission spectroscopy were used to investigate the characteristics of photoluminescence . In this work, Bi 3+ are used as sensitizer to improve the emission intensity of Eu 3+ . The critical (or optimum) doping concentrations of Eu 3+ and Bi 3+ in Sr 3 Sc(BO 3 ) 3 were obtained experimentally (single-doping: 15 mol.% Eu 3+ , co-doping: 15 mol.% Eu 3+ , 0.3 mol.% Bi 3+ ) to explore the energy transfer from Bi 3+ to Eu 3+ . Under UV (393 nm) excitation, a strong orange-red luminescence corresponding to the 5 D 0 → 7 F 1 transition of Eu 3+ can be observed, and a clear energy transfer from Bi 3+ to Eu 3+ can be discovered in the co-doped Sr 3 Sc(BO 3 ) 3 . The energy transfer mechanism, as well as the CIE coordinates and decay lifetimes of a representative sample, are also discussed. The results show that Sr 3 Sc(BO 3 ) 3 :Eu 3+ , Bi 3+ is an orange-red phosphor with a higher efficiency under near-UV excitation.