Structure and luminescent properties of Sm/Dy‐doped Sr 2 MgSi 2 O 7 glass–ceramics

Abstract Sm 3+ ‐doped and Sm 3+ /Dy 3+ codoped SiO 2 –SrO–MgO glasses were prepared by conventional melt quenching and Sr 2 MgSi 2 O 7 based glass–ceramics from sintering and crystallization of the glass powders. The thermal, structural, and optical properties of the glasses and glass–ceramics were investigated as a function of the dopant concentration. The optical characterization includes the photoluminescence spectra and the lifetimes of the 4 G 5/2 (Sm 3+ ) and 4 F 9/2 (Dy 3+ ) excited states. In Sm 3+ single‐doped samples, the emission intensity increases up to a concentration of 0.3 mol% Sm 3+ ions and then decreases due to nonradiative energy transfer processes. The emission spectra in the glass–ceramics show a more resolved structure and higher intensity compared to the glass samples, suggesting a different and crystalline environment for the Sm 3+ ions. The non‐radiative processes also influence the experimental decays of the glass samples which deviate from a single exponential with lifetimes decreasing as Sm 3+ concentration increases. The emission and excitation spectra of the codoped samples do not show significant energy transfer between Sm 3+ and Dy 3+ ions. Different emitting colors can be obtained in the codoped glasses by changing the excitation wavelength. The studied glass–ceramics could be applied as enamels on ceramic or metallic substrates.