Luminescent and structural characterization of Eu3+ doped silicate based nanophosphors.

Eu3+ doped Ba3CaSi2O8 and NaCeSiO4 silicate based nanophosphors have been synthesized using sol-gel method at 900°C. Bonding, crystalline structure and photoluminescence properties of prepared nanophosphors have been analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) techniques respectively. Upon irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) light, europium doped barium calcium silicate (Ba3CaSi2O8:Eu3+) and sodium cerium silicate (NaCeSiO4:Eu3+) phosphors exhibited a red luminescence. Luminescence properties of the prepared phosphor were analyzed by their excitation and emission spectra. The prepared materials; Ba3CaSi2O8:Eu3+ and NaCeSiO4:Eu3+ were found to have sizes of 46.36 nm and 28.57 nm with orthorhombic and cubic structure respectively as determined from XRD data. XRD measurements revealed the crystallinity of the prepared materials. The optoelectronic characterization of prepared phosphors has applications in various fields such as vacuum fluorescent displays, cathode ray tubes (CRT), safety indicators, luminescent paints, textiles etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]