Matrix-inducing synthesis and luminescence of Zn2SiO4:xTb3+ submicrometer phosphors derived from the sol–gel assembling of different multicomponent hybrid precursors

Zn2SiO4:xTb3+ submicrometer phosphors with different content of doping Tb were matrix-inducing synthesized by composing with rare earth salicylate coordination polymers (or rare earth nitrates), polyacrylamide (PAM) (or polyvinyl alcohol, PVA) both as fuel and dispersing media, among x = 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08 and 0.10, respectively. Their structures have been investigated to be composed of submicrometer-size grains of around 100–200 nm with a Willemite structure (α-Zn2SiO4) using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photoluminescence of Zn2SiO4:Tb3+ was investigated as a function of Tb3+ ions concentration and the results revealed that these submicrometer materials showed a strong green emission from 5D4 to 7F5 at 542 nm. For the sample with higher Tb3+ concentration, a cross relaxation process between Tb3+ ions results in the quenching of the corresponding 5D3 blue emission.