Cr3+-activated Ca3LnGa3B4O15 (Ln = Gd, Y)—highly thermally stable NIR-emitting phosphors toward plant lighting application

Abstract

Borate-based photoluminescent materials (phosphors) have attracted significant interest owing to their advantages, including low synthesis temperature, stable physicochemical properties, and simplified processing. Nevertheless, borate-based near-infrared (NIR) phosphors that exhibit both efficient excitation with blue LEDs (∼450 nm) and exceptional luminescence thermal stability remain scarce. In this study, a series of NIR phosphors, Ca3LnGa3B4O15:Cr3+ (Ln = Gd, Y; x = 0.1–4%), were synthesized via the high-temperature solid-phase method. These phosphors exhibit features such as efficient excitation with blue LEDs, a broad emission band with a full width at half maximum (FWHM) of ∼140 nm, and remarkable thermal stability. Specifically, at 473 K, Ca3GdGa3B4O15:0.5%Cr3+ retains 69% of its room temperature (RT) luminescence intensity. Substituting Gd3+ with Y3+ in this host significantly enhances luminescence thermal stability, with Ca3YGa3B4O15:0.5%Cr3+ retaining 84% of its RT intensity at 473 K while concurrently achieving a 1.8-fold increase in luminous intensity. This enhancement may be attributed to increased structural rigidity and the favorable ionic radius match between Cr3+ and Ga3+, which effectively suppresses non-radiative relaxation in loosely coordinated Cr3+ ions. These results demonstrate that this phosphor series holds potential for applications in fields such as plant-growth lighting.

Graphical abstract: Cr3+-activated Ca3LnGa3B4O15 (Ln = Gd, Y)—highly thermally stable NIR-emitting phosphors toward plant lighting application

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 May 2025
Accepted
14 Jul 2025
First published
15 Jul 2025

Dalton Trans., 2025, Advance Article

Cr3+-activated Ca3LnGa3B4O15 (Ln = Gd, Y)—highly thermally stable NIR-emitting phosphors toward plant lighting application

X. Yang, Y. Ding, H. Cao, Z. Shen, S. He, X. Liu, T. Zheng, T. Hu and Y. Xiao, Dalton Trans., 2025, Advance Article , DOI: 10.1039/D5DT01046B

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