Issue 23, 2015

Eu2+ luminescence in strontium aluminates

Abstract

The luminescence properties of Eu2+ doped strontium aluminates are reported and reviewed for a variety of aluminates, viz. SrAl12O19, SrAl4O7, Sr4Al14O25, SrAl2O4 and Sr3Al2O6. The aim of the research is to investigate the role of local coordination and covalency of the aluminate host lattice, related to the Sr/Al ratio, on the optical properties of the Eu2+ ion. The UV and VUV excited luminescence spectra as well as luminescence decay curves were recorded to characterize the luminescence properties of the investigated aluminates. The emission of Eu2+ ions varies over a wide spectral range, from ultraviolet (UV) to red, for the series of aluminates. The variation in emission color can be related to the crystal-field splitting of the 5d levels and the covalent interaction with the surrounding oxygen anions. In the least covalent material, viz. SrAl12O19:Eu2+, narrow line emission due to the 6P7/28S7/2 transition occurs at 4 K, indicating that the 4f65d excited state is situated above the 6P7/2(4f7) excited state around 360 nm. The most alkaline material, viz. Sr3Al2O6:Eu2+ is the most covalent host and exhibits several d–f emission bands in the yellow to red spectral range due to the Eu2+ ions located on different crystallographic Sr2+ sites. The Eu2+ emission spectra in the other aluminates confirm the trend that with increasing Sr/Al ratio the Eu2+ emission shifts to longer wavelengths. Interesting differences are observed for the Eu2+ from different crystallographic sites which cannot always be related with apparent differences in the first oxygen coordination sphere. The discussion gives insight into how in a similar class of materials, strontium aluminates, the emission color of Eu2+ can be tuned over a wide spectral region.

Graphical abstract: Eu2+ luminescence in strontium aluminates

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
22 Feb 2015
Accepted
03 May 2015
First published
12 May 2015

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015,17, 15236-15249

Author version available

Eu2+ luminescence in strontium aluminates

D. Dutczak, T. Jüstel, C. Ronda and A. Meijerink, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 15236 DOI: 10.1039/C5CP01095K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements