Luminescence and temperature sensing properties of KLu(MoO4)2:Ln3+ phosphors

A series of phosphors based on KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 are synthesized by the citric acid assisted hydrothermal method combined with subsequent calcination in this paper. By doping Yb 3+ /Er 3+ , Yb 3+ /Ho 3+ and Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ into KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 host, the green, red and blue emissions are realized, respectively. Moreover, the amount of Yb 3+ /Er 3+ doping can affect the fluorescence upconversion emission intensity. The temperature sensing property of KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 : 20%Yb 3+ ,0.8%Er 3+ is explored in the range of 323–573 K. In the heating process, the maximum absolute sensitivity is 0.01187 K −1 at 498 K. In addition, by constructing the cycle process of heating and cooling, the maximum sensitivity relative deviation of the two processes is only −0.72%, which means the KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 :Yb 3+ /Er 3+ phosphor has excellent stability in temperature measurement. Our research demonstrates that the KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 :Ln 3+ phosphors have potential application prospects in the fields of temperature sensor and multicolor fluorescence. • Synthesized the less reported luminescent matrix material KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 by hydrothermal followed by calcination. • Doped Yb 3+ /Er 3+ Yb 3+ /Ho 3+ Yb 3+ /Tm 3+ in KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 matrix material to realize the emission of multiple colors. • At 498 K, KLu(MoO 4 ) 2 :20%Yb 3+ 0.8%Er 3+ has the maximum absolute sensitivity of 0.01187 K -1 . • Through the construction of the heating and cooling cycle process, the stability of the material is good.