Eu3+ incorporated Bi4MgO4(PO4)2: Derivation of the novel nanophosphor by solution combustion and investigation in to crystallographic and photometric characteristics

Abstract

A bright red color emanating novel nanophosphor series is augmented through urea assisted solution combustion synthesis (SCS) by incorporating trivalent europium ions into Bi4MgO4(PO4)2 host lattice. The energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and elemental mapping mark the uniform presence of Bi, Eu, Mg, P and O elements in the prepared samples. The Eu3+ doped Bi4MgO4(PO4)2 nanophosphor has orthorhombic crystal structure with Pbca(61) space group and contains [Bi2O2]2+ planes and [(PO4)2MgBi2O2]2- slabs and is efficiently developed and thoroughly investigated for insights into the remarkable structural and opto-electronic properties. Rietveld refinement is employed to obtain crystallographic parameters for optimal luminescent nano-composition and photoluminescent spectral evaluation disclosed the optoelectronic behavior of the Bi4(1-x)Eu4xMgO4(PO4)2 (x = 0.01–0.08) nanophosphor series. The Bi3.8Eu0.2MgO4(PO4)2 nanophosphor is confirmed for phase purity with respect to the parent phosphate-based host through powder X-ray diffraction patterns. Kubelka- Munk function estimated 3.873 eV as the band-gap for Bi4MgO4(PO4)2 pure host. The transmission (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) establish the nano-ranged conduct of particles as calculated from the Scherrer equation. The trivalent europium ions acting as dopant exhibit bi-exponential decay behavior whereas the Auzel's model makes way to achieve the value of radiative lifetime (3.395 ms) for 5D0 quantum mechanical state. The PL as well as decay curves are inspected to gain the quantum efficiencies and non-radiative rates for Eu3+ doped Bi4MgO4(PO4)2 nanophosphors. The CIE coordinates (x = 0.5964, y = 0.3905), quantum efficiency (66%) and photoluminescent exhibition mark Bi3.8Eu0.2MgO4(PO4)2 as a potential nanophosphor for solid state lighting (SSLs) and imaging applications.