Synthesis and emission properties of Ca3Nb2O8:Sm3+ phosphor and the emission improvement by Li+ ion

Ca3Nb2O8:Sm3+ phosphor is synthesized by solid-state reaction method in air. Host Ca3Nb2O8 emits blue light with excitation 260 and 314 nm, and its emission band peaking at ∼460 nm is attributed to the 3T1,2 → 1A1 transations in [Nb2O86−] group. Ca3Nb2O8:Sm3+ phosphor with excitation 314 nm shows a systematically tunable emission by adjusting Sm3+ ion concentration, and only emits reddish-orange light with excitation 407 nm. Excitation band indicates that Ca3Nb2O8:Sm3+ phosphor may be effectively excited by (∼407 nm) near ultraviolet light-emitting diode chip. The optimal Sm3+ ion concentration is ∼5 mol% in Ca3Nb2O8:Sm3+ phosphor. Emission intensity of Ca3Nb2O8:Sm3+ phosphor may be increased ∼1.4 times by co-doping Li+ ions as charge compensator and fluxing agent roles. The experimental results will contribute to studying novel Sm3+-doped luminescent materials.