On the Energy Dependence of the PL of RE Ions in LuBO3:RE (RE = Ce, Eu, Gd, or Tb)

LuBO3 crystallizes in the calcite type (CaCO3) structure and is a widely applied inorganic host for luminescent materials and scintillators. Even though many scientific works have been published concerning the optical properties of rare-earth-doped LuBO3, so far, no study of the emission spectra as function of the excitation energy of such orthoborates has been conducted. Therefore, this work elaborates on the photoluminescence of RE-doped LuBO3 with RE = Ce3+, Eu3+, Gd3+, or Tb3+, while an emphasize is laid on the energy dependence of these four luminescent compounds. The reflection, emission, and excitation spectra were additionally recorded, and the particle size distribution was determined. Calcite type LuBO3 was successfully obtained, and the characteristic RE luminescence was observed. Furthermore, the Gd3+-doped sample showed no scintillation due to its monovalence and a sensitizer is required to transfer the respective energy to the Gd3+-activator.