Intense emission of Ba2MgSi2O7:Eu2+ under X-ray excitation for potential detecting applications

A series of Ba2-xEuxMgSi2O7 phosphors was prepared by a solid-state reaction method at high temperature. The theoretical density of the optimal Ba1.93Eu0.07MgSi2O7 material was calculated from the Rietveld refinement result. Eu L3-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) spectrum was measured to confirm the valence of Eu ions in Ba2MgSi2O7. The X-ray excited radioluminescence and the thermoluminescence after β-ray irradiation were investigated based on the VUV-vis photoluminescence. The light yield of the optimal Ba1.93Eu0.07MgSi2O7 sample under X-ray excitation was estimated to be ~29,000±6000 photons/M eV. So the temperature-dependent luminescence properties of this sample under X-ray and 344 nm excitation were further studied, and the charge traps in the scintillation process were discussed through thermoluminescence spectra. The high scintillation intensity together with an appropriate intrinsic decay time and its non-hygroscopicity endow the further optimized phosphor Ba1.93Eu0.07MgSi2O7 a promising scintillation material for X-ray detection.