Red photoluminescence and morphology of Eu3+ doped Ca3La3(BO3)5 phosphors

Europium doped phosphors Ca3La3(BO3)5 were first synthesized by a sol-gel process technique. The reaction temperature of the sol-gel process was 300 °C lower than that of the solid-state reaction and the reaction time of the sol-gel process was shorter. The photoluminescence properties of Eu3+ doped Ca3La3(BO3)5 indicated that the phosphors exhibited a strong luminescence of 5D0-7F2 transition at 612 nm under the excitation at 237 nm. The emission intensity of the phosphors prepared by the sol-gel process was higher than those prepared by the solid-state reaction. The relationship between optical properties and morphologies were studied. In particular, Li+ ion doping effectively enhanced the luminescent properties of the Eu3+ doped Ca3La3(BO3)5 phosphors. The highest brightness was observed in the phosphor Ca3La2.82Eu0.1Li0.08B5O15−δ prepared by the sol-gel process.