Preparation, structural and luminescent properties of YAl3(BO3)4:Dy3+ phosphor for white light-emission under UV excitation

A series of YAl3(BO3)4 phosphors doped with different concentrations of Dy2O3 (0.1≤x≤5 mol%) were prepared by solid-state reaction method. The crystallization process of the precursor has been examined by differential thermal analysis (DTA) measurements. The phase purity and surface morphological features were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) investigations. The YAl3(BO3)4 nanocrystals obtained were found to be about 45 nm in size and have the trigonal structure with some agglomeration. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDS) measurements were carried out to understand the compositional and elemental analysis. The characteristics emission peaks of Dy3+ ion corresponding to the transitions of 4F9/2→6H15/2 at 485 nm and 4F9/2→6H13/2 at 576 nm were observed in the emission spectra. The luminescence quenching noticed at higher Dy2O3 concentrations is due to the exchange interaction among the excited Dy3+ ions.