Thermally and optically stimulated luminescence in long persistent orthorhombic strontium aluminates doped with Eu, Dy and Eu, Nd

- Two long persistent Sr4Al14O25 co-doped with Eu2+, Dy3+ and Eu2+, Nd3+ are synthesized by the combustion method.
- Afterglow, thermally and IR stimulated luminescence properties of the phosphors exposed to beta radiation are reported.
- Phosphors present ultra long intense afterglow with slow decay that remains detectable even after 220 h storage in dark.
- The mechanism explaining the observed luminescence phenomena is proposed.

The long persistent luminescence, thermoluminescence (TL) and IR stimulated luminescence properties of two orthorhombic strontium aluminates (Sr4Al14O25) co-doped with Eu2+, Dy3+ and Eu2+, Nd3+ exposed to beta radiation is reported. The phosphors were synthesized by the combustion method followed by a post-annealing treatment under a reductive carbon atmosphere. Photoluminescence emission spectra of both phosphors are typical for emission of Eu2+ ions with 7-fold and 10-fold coordination in Sr4Al14025 and consist of the main band at 480 nm and a weak band between 390 and 440 nm. After exposure to beta radiation the Sr4Al14025:Eu2+,Dy3+ phosphor exhibits two strongly overlapped TL peaks at about 70 and 100 °C while the low temperature TL of the Sr4Al14025:Eu2+,Nd3+ phosphor consist of two well separated peaks with maxima at about 60 and 130 °C. Additionally, both phosphors exhibit a weak TL between 180 and 400 °C. The traps responsible for the low temperature TL peaks are the Dy3+ and Nd3+ centers situated in two different Sr sites with 7-fold and 10-fold coordination. The thermal emptying of the Dy and Nd filled traps creates ultra-long intense afterglow, which gradually decays with time and remains detectable after 220 h storage in dark. IR stimulation of beta irradiated phosphors creates intense IR stimulated luminescence, which is related to the release of electrons from the filled Dy and Nd traps.