Energy transfer and luminescence properties of Ba2CaMoO6:Eu3+ phosphors prepared by sol–gel method

• Novel Ba2CaMoO6:Eu3+ phosphors were first synthesized by the sol–gel method.
• The phosphors show a broad CT band at around 380 nm and an intense red emission.
• Ba2CaMoO6:Eu3+ is suitable for near-UV (370–410 nm) LEDs.

Novel Ba2CaMoO6:Eu3+ reddish orange phosphors were synthesized by the sol–gel method. The XRD results indicate that the phosphors keep the cubic structure. The excitation spectra exhibit an intense broad charge transfer (CT) band centered at 380 nm, indicating the phosphors can be effectively excited by near UV (370–410 nm) light. The photoluminescence (PL) measurements demonstrate a strong red emission band centered at about 595 nm (5D0 → 7F1) under host excitation at 380 nm. A low concentration quenching occurs in Ba2CaMoO6:Eu3+ and the optimal doping concentration is about 6 mol%. The efficient energy transfer from host to Eu3+ ions in Ba2CaMoO6:Eu3+ phosphors has been discussed in this paper.