A novel temperature sensitive Sm3+ doped niobate orange-red phosphor: The synthesis and characteristic luminescent property investigation

Sm3+ activated niobate orange-red phosphors Ba3ZrNb4O15: Sm3+ with temperature sensitive quenching behavior are firstly prepared with high temperature solid-state reaction method. The phase purity, characteristic luminescence property, decay times and thermal stability are systematically determined by employing X-ray diffractometer, photoluminescence spectra and temperature dependent emission spectra. The photoluminescence spectra shows that Ba3ZrNb4O15: xSm3+ (0.005 ≤ x ≤ 0.04) can absorb near-ultraviolet light around 407 nm and emit orange-red emissions with dominated peak at 598 nm, ascribed to the 4G5/2 to 6H7/2 transitions of Sm3+ ions. The optimal doping content as well as the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates of Ba3ZrNb4O15: Sm3+ is studied. The energy transfer mechanism and the critical distance Rc are investigated. The temperature dependent emission spectra reveal that Ba3ZrNb4O15: xSm3+ exhibit temperature sensitive thermal quenching behavior and the thermal quenching mechanism is discussed. The results show that the orange-red phosphors Ba3ZrNb4O15: Sm3+ have potential applications in some temperature sensitive devices.