Phase Structure and Photoluminescence of Pr3+ Doped (K,Na)NbO3-Based Multifunctional Ceramics

Abstract

Perovskite oxides doped with rare earth elements are promising multifunctional materials. In this paper, Pr3+-doped (Na0.52K0.4415Li0.0385)(Nb0.8735Ta0.064Sb0.0625)O3 ceramics, abbreviated as KNN-Pr, are prepared by traditional solid-state method. Compared to previous reports, the KNN matrix is optimized by Li, Ta and Sb elements, which shows outstanding piezoelectric properties. Morphology, phase structure, electrical properties and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the KNN-Pr ceramics sintered at different temperatures are investigated. Under 362-nm excitation, 0.2 mol.% Pr3+ doped KNN-based ceramic that sintered at 1090°C exhibits the maximal orange emission at 603 nm, showing significantly enhanced PL behavior. Most importantly, the PL property is confirmed to be highly related to the phase structure of the KNN-Pr ceramic. With excellent intrinsic piezoelectric properties, the KNN-Pr ceramics are promising to be applied in novel multifunctional devices.