Electronic structure and luminescent properties of Sr3Al2O6:Sm3+ orange phosphor prepared by hydrothermal method

A series of Sm3+ ions doped Sr3Al2O6 phosphors was successfully synthesized via hydrothermal method. The crystal structure, morphology and luminescent properties of samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectra. All the samples took on cubic structure with Pa-3 space group. The Sr3Al2O6:Sm3+ phosphors could be excited by 405 nm and emit orange-red light peaked at 565, 609 and 660 nm. The effect of hydrothermal reaction time on the morphology and luminescent properties of phosphor was investigated. The influence of molar fraction of Sm3+ ions on the emission intensity of samples was studied and it has been found that the optimal dosage is 0.01. The calculated results by the first principle indicated that the Sm3+ ions will easily occupy the symmetric center site (Sr1). The results indicated that the luminescent intensity of Sr3Al2O6:Sm3+ phosphors could be modulated by reaction conditions of hydrothermal method.