Abstract
In this paper, a series of color-tunable phosphors from green to yellow and eventually to red have been successfully synthesized with efficient Ce3+ → Tb3+ → Eu3+ energy transfer in hexagonal NaYF4 host. The energy transfer processes from Ce3+ to Tb3+ and from Tb3+ to Eu3+ and the corresponding energy transfer efficiencies are carefully investigated by the photoluminescence excitation spectra, emission spectra and the decay curves. Impressively, the Ce3+ → Tb3+ → Eu3+ energy transfer mechanism has been proposed and can be attributed to the strong absorption of ultraviolet light by sensitizers (Ce3+), followed by energy migration to Tb3+ ions, from which the energy is finally transferred to activators (Eu3+). Furthermore, the temperature sensing behavior of β-NaYF4:Ce3+/Tb3+/Eu3+ under 248 nm ultraviolet light excitation is also studied to explore the possible application of the as-synthesized sample in optical thermometry. Evidently, the results suggest that the investigated β-NaYF4:Ce3+/Tb3+/Eu3+ sample may be a promising candidate for optical temperature sensor.
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