Influence of Sm3+ doping on the relaxation behaviors of KSr2Nb5O15 ferroelectric ceramics and the luminescence modulation effect by polarization engineering

Abstract

The luminescence modulation behavior of lanthanide ion doped materials possesses great potential for applications in sensing, display and anti-counterfeiting devices. Unlike traditional tuning methods for chemical compositions, novel rare-earth doped ferroelectric oxides exhibit attractive luminescence modulation effects via electric polarization engineering, and enrich the development of multifunctional devices. In this work, Sm3+ doped KSr2Nb5O15 ceramics with abundant ferroelectric and luminescent properties were synthesized. The samples show different relaxation behaviors and ferroelectric features upon chemical and structural factors caused by Sm3+ doping, such as average ionic radii, local tolerance factors, and chemical bonds. After polarization at 20 kV/cm for 20 min, a considerable increase (~40%) in the luminescent emission intensity was obtained in 4 mol. % Sm3+ doped KSr2Nb5O15 ceramics. The related luminescence modulation mechanism was attributed to controlling the environmental symmetry around Sm3+ by the electric polarization.