Synthesis and PL study of UV emitting phosphor KCa4(BO3)3:Pb2+

Pb2+ doped KCa4(BO3)3 materials were prepared by a novel solution combustion synthesis technique which is slight variation of combustion synthesis method. The synthesized materials were characterized by powder XRD and FT-IR. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) observation indicated that the microstructure of the phosphor consisted of irregular grains which get finer and shaped in doped sample as compared to pure. The photoluminescence properties of synthesized materials were investigated using Spectrofluorometer at room temperature. The emission and excitation bands of the synthesized phosphors were observed at 335 nm and 260 nm respectively. The concentration of Pb2+ for which optimum emission is obtained was found to be 0.005 mol. The critical transfer distance (R0) for optimum concentration was determined to be 16.88 Å. The Stokes shift of KCa4(BO3)3:Pb2+ was measured to be 8756 cm−1. The phosphor could find application in medical and lamp industry.