Structural and luminescence characteristics of Sr3Al8SiO17:Eu2+nanophosphor

This work presents the synthesis of Eu2+ doped novel Sr3Al8SiO17 phosphors by modified combustion technique. The luminescent properties of these phosphors have been explored by analyzing their excitation and emission spectra with the help of photoluminescence spectrometer at room temperature. The crystal structure of Sr3Al8SiO17 phosphor was refined using Rietveld method. Powder X-ray diffraction analysis shows the crystalline nature of the prepared phosphor which was later confirmed by transmission electron microscopy analysis having particle dimension in between 30 and 40 nm. The morphological structures and elemental analysis of the samples were conducted using scanning electron microscope coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy. The presence of specific mode of vibrations of the phosphor was studied by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Under ultra-violet excitation, Sr3Al8SiO17 phosphors show broad-band emission spectrum peak at 486 nm in the blue region of the spectra corresponding to 4f65d1 → 4f7 transition of Eu2+ ion. The maximum photoluminescence intensity has been obtained for 0.3 mol% concentration of Eu2+ ion in Sr3Al8SiO17 (when monitored at an excitation wavelength of 354 nm it gives emission at 486 nm). The results show Sr3Al8SiO17:Eu2+ is a promising candidate for the phosphors and may be used for improving the efficiency and quality of phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes.