Sensitization of Nd3+ by 4f-5d transition of Ce3+ in Ba2Y(BO3)2Cl phosphor for the prospective NIR applications

Abstract

The Ba2Y(BO3)2Cl:Ce3+,Nd3+ phosphor was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction method and characterized using XRD, SEM, photoluminescence (PL) excitation, PL emission and PL decay to understand the feasibility of using this phosphor for NIR emission. The XRD patterns recorded for the Ba2Y(BO3)2Cl phosphor reveal pure crystalline monoclinic phase belong to a space group P21/m. The surface morphology of the as prepared phosphor has been investigated using SEM. When excited with UV, the phosphor gives broadband emission at 420 nm, which corresponds to the allowed 5d→4f transition of Ce3+ ions and intense NIR emissions in the range 800–1400 nm, which are assigned to the characteristic 4F3/2→4I9/2,11/2,13/2 transitions of Nd3+ ions. The dependence of visible and NIR emissions, decay lifetime and energy transfer efficiency (ηETE) were investigated in detail. Excitation, emission spectra and decay curves have been measured to prove the energy transfer from Ce3+ to Nd3+. The fluorescence decay measurements and energy transfer efficiencies have been estimated and the mechanisms for the energy transfer between Ce3+ and Nd3+ have been proposed. The results indicate that sensitization of Nd3+ is possible via 4f-5d transition of Ce3+.