Synthesis of CdMoO4:Sm3+ phosphors at room temperature and investigation on photoluminescence properties

In this work, we have synthesized CdMoO4:Sm3+ phosphors with tetragonal structure at room temperature by using co-precipitation method. The prepared sample contained adsorbed H2O molecules which is indicated by Fourier transform infra red (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Studies on scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) exhibited the formation of spherical shape in as prepared sample with diameters in the ranges of 10-30 nm. The excitation spectra showed a strong broad excitation band with maximum at 335 nm and upon annealing of the sample, a red shift at the position of maximum absorption is observed. Excitation peaks due to f-f transitions of Sm3+ are observed at 377, 405, 420, 439, 463 and 481 nm. Emission spectra showed strong peaks at 564, 603, 646 and 707 nm upon 335 nm UV light excitation and the optimum concentration is found to be 5 at.%. The emission intensity increases with the increase in annealing temperature. The orange color exhibited by the samples could be seen by the naked eyes. This result indicates that CdMoO4 can be a potential host for Sm3+.