Persistent luminescent phosphor-in-glass composites based on NaPO3 – Ga2O3 glasses loaded with Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,Dy3+

Abstract

Phosphor-in-glass (PiG) is a composite material that can combine the chemical stability and more versatile molding and processing of glasses and the singular properties of luminescent polycrystalline materials. Persistent luminescent phosphors have been raising attention due to their long emission times without the need for a steady irradiation source. The association of these polycrystalline materials with transparent glassy hosts leads to the obtainment of robust luminescent bulk materials and expands the possibilities of commercial applications. In this work, the Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,Dy3+ (SMSO) persistent luminescent material was incorporated into a new gallium phosphate glass system with composition 80NaPO3 – 20Ga2O (NaPGa), through the conventional melt-quenching technique and fully characterized from the structural and spectroscopic viewpoints. The composites were prepared using 2, 5, 10, and 20 wt% of SMSO at 900 or 950 °C. It was observed that the higher melting temperature induces the oxidation of Eu2+ ions, which can reduce the persistent luminescent emission. High SMSO concentrations increase the glass melt viscosity, hampering the molding step but optimized samples were successfully obtained as transparent bulk materials with efficient emission in the blue spectral region and promising applications in emergency signaling and as solar cell sensitizers.