Luminescence Quantum Efficiency Research Articles

Preparation and luminescent properties research of fluoride phosphor K2NaInF6: Cr3+, Mn4+

A series of K2NaIn1-x-yF6 phosphors doped with x% Cr3+ and y% Mn4+ were synthesized using hydrothermal synthesis. The properties of K2NaInF6: Cr3+, Mn4+ phosphors were analyzed by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra, and other tests. The energy transfer efficiency between Cr3+ and Mn4+ is 55 % at an excitation wavelength of 470 nm. The optimal doping concentrations of Cr3+ and Mn4+ were 10 mol% and 2 mol%, respectively. The photoluminescence luminescence quantum efficiency of K2NaIn0·88F6: 0.1Cr3+, 0.02Mn4+ phosphor is 36.8 %. The concentration quenching mechanism of single-doped Cr3+ and Mn4+ is dipole-dipole interaction in K2NaInF6 phosphor. However, in the case of Cr3+-Mn4+ co-doping, the mechanism is quadrupole-quadrupole interaction. The thermal stability of the K2NaIn0·88F6: 0.1Cr3+, 0.02Mn4+ sample was examined, revealing that the luminescence intensity at 423 K remained at 75.53 % of that at 303 K. The activation energy was determined to be 0.28 eV, indicating that the sample has excellent thermal quenching property. The realization of red-light emission, from visible to near-infrared wavelengths, can be achieved through the interaction between Cr3+ and Mn4+. Red light of different wavelengths can better regulate the excellent environment required for plant growth, which is expected to be applied to plant growth.

Luminescence efficiency and carrier dynamics for InGaAs/GaAs surface quantum dots in coupled heterostructures

InGaAs/GaAs surface quantum dot (SQD) heterostructures have long been viewed as having great potential for realizing environmental gas detection devices. The research has recently been steered into discovering ways to inject carriers into the available SQD energy states to facilitate readable devices. In the present research, carrier injection from buried QDs (BQDs) to SQDs was controlled by changing the interlayer coupling. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that, by increasing the stacking period of BQDs, the carrier collection efficiency and subsequently the luminescence intensity for SQDs can be effectively improved. A rate equation simulation of the carrier recombination process is used to quantitatively describe the luminescent quantum efficiency (IQE) for the SQDs, indicating an increase with additional BQD layers due to an increase in carrier injection. The PL spectra along with the rate equation simulations further indicated that for these SQD hybrid structures nonradiative recombination dominates, with Auger recombination becoming significant at high excitation intensities. These results may help to understand the carrier dynamics in coupled SQDs hybrid structures. In addition, they provide a path to manipulating the properties of InGaAs SQDs for the development of gas sensors.

Bandgap engineering—Influence of the evolution of (Zn/Mg)Al2O4:Cr3+ spinel phosphors on the photoluminescence properties

AbstractAs a luminescent center ion in materials for deep red and near‐infrared light, Cr3+ has been extensively studied in octahedral host materials. In this study, using zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4) and magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) spinels with abundant octahedra as substrates, a series of Zn1−xMgxAl2O4:0.5%Cr3+ (x = 0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, and 1) fluorescent powders were first prepared via a high‐temperature solid‐state method. The influence of different Mg/Zn ratios on (Zn/Mg)Al2O4:0.5%Cr3+ optical properties was thoroughly explored. Experimental results show that an increase in the Mg/Zn ratio reduces the crystal field strength (Dq) and leads to distortion of the [AlO6] octahedra, resulting in broadening of the photoluminescence emission spectrum. Furthermore, the addition of Mg gradually reduces the formation of inverse spinel. An appropriate Mg/Zn ratio can improve luminescent intensity and quantum efficiency. In summary, this paper, through bandgap engineering by adjusting the Mg/Zn ratio, provides a detailed account of the changes in optical properties and the underlying mechanisms during the transition from ZnAl2O4:0.5%Cr3+ to MgAl2O4:0.5%Cr3+ spinels. It offers valuable insights for further research on the practical applications of Cr3+ in areas such as lighting displays and bioimaging.

Insight into structure evolution of carbon nitrides and its energy conversion as luminescence

AbstractA series of carbon nitride (CN) materials represented by graphitic carbon nitride (g‐C3N4) have been widely used in bioimaging, biosensing, and other fields in recent years due to their nontoxicity, low cost, and high luminescent quantum efficiency. What is more attractive is that the luminescent properties such as wavelength and intensity can be regulated by controlling the structure at the molecular level. Hence, it is time to summarize the related research on CN structural evolution and make a prospect on future developments. In this review, we first summarize the research history and multiple structural evolution of CN. Then, the progress of improving the luminescence performance of CN through structural evolution was discussed. Significantly, the relationship between CN structure evolution and energy conversion in the forms of photoluminescence, chemiluminescence, and electrochemiluminescence was reviewed. Finally, key challenges and opportunities such as nanoscale dispersion strategy, luminous efficiency improving methods, standardization evaluation, and macroscopic preparation of CN are highlighted.

Breaking Through the Luminescence Stability Bottleneck of Oxyfluoride Phosphor for Sun‐Like Led Lighting

AbstractSunlight like optical source is the primary objective of healthy lighting. In contrast, achieving full spectrum lighting with high stability remains challenging, mostly due to the scarcity of purple chip‐pumped cyan‐green phosphors and their inherent emission instability. In this study, a novel strategy is presented that realizes simultaneous enhancements in both humidity stability (increased by 2.9 times) and luminescence quantum efficiency (enhanced by 1.5 times) for cyan‐emitting Sr3AlO4F:Ce3+ phosphor by employing Si/N doping. Theoretical modelling shows that these improvements are attributed to the regulation of energy bands and structural rigidity as well as modulation of the ionicity of chemical bonds. Furthermore, blending the other violet chip‐pumped phosphors, sun‐like LEDs that accurately replicate solar spectra in different times of the day with an optimal color rendering index of 99 is successfully engineered. Moreover, the universality of this strategy on other oxyfluoride phosphors has also been validated. This groundbreaking outcome offers a practical solution to overcome the inherent luminescence stability limitations in oxyfluoride phosphors, thus catalyzing the application of these cyan‐green candidates in sun‐like LED lighting.

Hyperfine splitting and ferromagnetism in CdS : Mn nanoparticles for optoelectronic device applications

Manganese (Mn) doped cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanoparticles were synthesized using a chemical method. It was possible to decrease CdS : Mn particle size by increasing Mn concentration. Investigation techniques such as ultraviolet−visible (UV−Vis) absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy were used to determine optical properties of CdS : Mn nanoparticles. Size quantization effect was observed in UV−Vis absorption spectra. Quantum efficiency for luminescence or the internal magnetic field strength was increased by doping CdS nanoparticles with Mn element. Orange emission was observed at wavelength ~630 nm due to 4T1 → 6A1 transition. Isolated Mn2+ ions arranged in tetrahedral coordination are mainly responsible for luminescence. Luminescence quenching and the effect of Mn doping on hyperfine interactions in the case of CdS nanoparticles were also discussed. The corresponding weight percentage of Mn element actually incorporated in doping process was determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Crystallinity was checked and the average size of nanoparticles was estimated using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. CdS : Mn nanoparticles show ferromagnetism at room temperature. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images show spherical clusters of various sizes and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns show the polycrystalline nature of the clusters. The electronic states of diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) of Ⅱ−Ⅵ group CdS nanoparticles give them great potential for applications due to quantum confinement. In this study, experimental results and discussions on these aspects have been given.

Effects of Na/Al ratio on phonon sideband spectra and luminescent characteristics of Eu3+ doped sodium aluminosilicate glasses

In this work, sodium aluminosilicate (NAS) glass systems were fabricated via traditional melting technique with various Na/Al ratios. Structure and surface morphology of the fabricated glasses were investigated by X-ray diffractometer, Raman spectroscopy and SEM images. Optical characteristics of the fabricated glasses were inspected by photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra, and the observations showed that intensity of the excitation peak of Eu3+ ions in the NAS glasses at 392 nm increases while one at 463 nm decreases with the increasing of Na/Al ratio. Analysis of the phonon sideband spectra shown a change of multiphonon relative rate (Wmp/W0) of the synthesized glasses relates to Na/Al ratio. By applying the Judd-Ofelt theory, Ωλ = 2,4,6 parameters were evaluated from the PL spectra and used these parameters to estimate the radiative parameters like calculated lifetime (τcal), effective line width (Δλeff), transition probability rate (A), emission cross-section (σp) and branching ratio (βR). Decay curves were measured to investigate luminescence quantum efficiency (η) of Eu3+ emission and η gets value in the 53%–65% region. The color coordinates (x, y) and correlated color temperature (CCT) were also estimated for the synthesized NAS glasses.

Electrochemiluminescence Properties and Sensing Application of Zn(II)-Metal-Organic Frameworks Constructed by Mixed Ligands of Para Dicarboxylic Acids and 1,10-Phenanthroline.

Four metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were designed and prepared through a mixed-ligand strategy by controlling the combination of various dicarboxylic acid ligands with invariant center metal and o-phenanthroline heterocyclic ligand. The regulatory effects of ligand electronic band and crystal structure on the electrochemiluminescence (ECL) characteristics of MOFs were verified by experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The flexible chain structure of MOF-2 promotes electron transfer between MOF electroactive free radicals and the co-reactant, making it show outstanding ECL characteristics among all of the four MOFs with the luminescence quantum efficiency 8.37 times that of tris(bipyridine)-ruthenium(II) ([Ru(bpy)3]2+). Meanwhile, a new ECL mechanism for MOF luminescent crystal materials with reactive oxygen species in solvents as a co-reactant in the aqueous aerobic environment has been proposed. MOF-2 was selected to construct an ECL sensor for the determination of glucose in human urine samples. This study provides a useful idea for the development and design of new luminescent molecular crystal materials.

Thickness-variation-insensitive near-infrared quantum dot LEDs

In terms of tunable luminescence and high quantum efficiency, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are promising semiconductors for constructing near-infrared light-emitting diodes (NIR-LEDs). However, currently available NIR-LEDs are susceptible to variations in the emission layer thickness (EMLT), the highest external quantum efficiency (EQE) decreases to below 50% (relative to peak EQE) when the EMLT varies out of a narrow range of (±30 nm). This is due to the thickness-dependent carrier recombination rate and current density variation, resulting in batch-to-batch EQE fluctuations that limit LED reproducibility. Here we report efficient NIR-LEDs that exhibit EQE variations of less than 15% (relative to the champion EQE) over an EMLT range of 40–220 nm; the highest achievable EQE of ∼11.5% was obtained by encapsulating a 212 nm-thick CQD within a type-I inorganic shell to enhance the radiative recombination in the dots, resulting in a high photoluminescence quantum yield of 80%, and by post-treating the films with a bifunctional linking agent to improve and balance the hole and electron mobilities in the entire film (electron mobility: 8.23 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1; hole mobility: 7.0 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1). This work presents the first NIR-LEDs that exhibit EMLT-invariant EQE over an EMLT range of 40–220 nm, which represents the highest EQE among reported CQD NIR-LEDs with a QD thickness exceeding 100 nm.

Optical properties, Judd-Ofelt analysis and energy transfer processes of Eu3+ doped ZnS quantum dots

Quantum dots (QDs) of ZnS doped with different Eu3+ ion concentrations were synthesized using a chemical method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern showed that the prepared QDs were crystallized in the Zincblende phase and their size was estimated to be approximately 3 nm. The XRD pattern and XPS spectrum analysis showed that Eu3+ ions replaced Zn2+ ions in the crystal lattice. For the first time, the optical properties of Eu3+ doped ZnS QDs were studied using photoluminescence excitation (PLE), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory. Ωλ (λ = 2, 4, 6) parameters were calculated from the PLE spectra of the samples. The luminescence quantum efficiency and properties of the ligand field of the material were calculated and compared with those of other lattice hosts. The energy transfer (ET) processes from the ZnS host to Eu3+ ion and between Eu3+ ions were also discussed in detail. The ET process from the ZnS host to the Eu3+ ion occurred through the exchange interaction. The dominant interaction between Eu3+ ions in the ET process is the dipole-dipole mechanism, which is determined by fitting the decay curve of the 5D0 level to the Inokuti-Hirayama model.

Long-Wavelength Near-Infrared Divalent Nickel-Activated Double-Perovskite Ba2MgWO6 Phosphor as Imaging for Human Fingers.

Transmission near-infrared (NIR) imaging technology has great potential for biomedical imaging because of its lower water absorption coefficient and highly reduced photon scattering effect in biological tissues compared to visible light. The extent of biological tissue photon scattering is inversely proportional to wavelength; therefore, in principle, imaging with long-wavelength NIR helps improve the resolution of the optical image, but deep tissue high-resolution luminescence imaging is still very challenging technically. Here, we report the discovery of a Ba2MgWO6:Ni2+ double perovskite phosphor that emits broadband long-wavelength NIR (1200-2000 nm) under 365 nm near-ultraviolet (UV) excitation, with a full width at half-maximum of 255 nm. The luminescence quantum efficiency of the phosphor with optimized composition reached 16.67%. The analysis of the crystal structure of Ba2MgWO6:Ni2+ suggests that Ni2+ ions preferentially occupy the W6+ site in octahedrons with a weak crystal field, which leads to a large Stokes shift. An as-prepared long-wavelength NIR pc-LED device was built by packaging an optimized phosphor with a low-power near-UV-LED chip, which was tested to generate clear imaging of venous vessels in human fingers. These unique properties of the Ba2MgWO6:Ni2+ double perovskite phosphor makes it a promising application in the field of imaging sources for body tissue..

Improved Visible Emission from ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized via the Co-Precipitation Method.

Since ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) possess a variety of intrinsic defects, they can provide a wide spectrum of visible emission, without adding any impurity or any doping atoms. They are attracting more and more interest as a material for light sources and energy downshifting systems. However, defect emission with a high luminescence quantum efficiency (PL QY) is difficult to obtain. Here, we present the co-precipitation synthesis parameters permitting to attain ZnO NPs with highly visible PL QYs. We found that the nature of zinc precursors and alkaline hydroxide (KOH or LiOH) used in this method affects the emission spectra and the PL QY of the as-grown ZnO NPs. LiOH is found to have an advantageous effect on the visible emission efficiency when added during the synthesis of the ZnO NPs. More precisely, LiOH permits to increase the emission efficiency in the visible up to 13%. We discuss the effects of the nanoparticle size, the morphology and the surface stabilization on the enhancement of the luminescent emission efficiency. Various spectral contributions to the luminescent emission were also examined, in order to achieve a control of the defect emission to increase its efficiency.

Understanding and Suppressing Non-Radiative Recombination Losses in Non-Fullerene Organic Solar Cells.

Organic solar cells benefit from non-fullerene acceptors (NFA) due to their high absorption coefficients, tunable frontier energy levels, and optical gaps, as well as their relatively high luminescence quantum efficiencies as compared to fullerenes. Those merits result in high yields of charge generation at a low or negligible energetic offset at the donor/NFA heterojunction, with efficiencies over 19% achieved for single-junction devices. Pushing this value significantly over 20% requires an increase in open-circuit voltage, which is currently still well below the thermodynamic limit. This can only be achieved by reducing non-radiative recombination, and hereby increasing the electroluminescence quantum efficiency of the photo-active layer. Here, current understanding of the origin of non-radiative decay, as well as an accurate quantification of the associated voltage losses are summarized. Promising strategies for suppressing these losses are highlighted, with focus on new material design, optimization of donor-acceptor combination, and blend morphology. This review aims at guiding researchers in their quest to find future solar harvesting donor-acceptor blends, which combine a high yield of exciton dissociation with a high yield of radiative free carrier recombination and low voltage losses, hereby closing the efficiency gap with inorganic and perovskite photovoltaics.

Designing Nonconventional Luminescent Materials with Efficient Emission in Dilute Solutions via Modulation of Dynamic Hydrogen Bonds.

Nonconventional luminescent materials (NLMs) which do not contain traditional aromatic chromophores are of great interest due to their unique chemical structures, optical properties, and their potential applications in various areas, such as cellular imaging and chemical sensing. However, most reported NLMs show weak or no emission in dilute solutions, which severely limits their applications. In this work, dynamic hydrogen bonds were utilized to design NLMs with efficient emission in dilute solutions. To further validate the results, polymers P1 and P2 were successfully prepared and investigated. It was found that the luminescence quantum efficiency of P1 and P2 at a concentration of 0.1 mg/mL in water solution was 8.9 and 0.6%, respectively. The high efficiency can be attributed to the fact that polymer P1 has more intra- or intermolecular dynamic hydrogen bonds and other short interactions than P2 in dilute solutions, allowing P1 to achieve the through-space conjugation effect to increase the degree of system conjugation, restrict molecular motion, and decrease nonradiative transitions, which can effectively improve luminescence. In addition, polymer P2 exhibits the characteristics of clustering-triggered emission, excitation wavelength-dependent and concentration-dependent fluorescence properties, excellent photobleaching resistance, low cytotoxicity, and selective recognition of Fe3+. The present study investigates the manipulation of luminescence properties of NLMs in dilute solutions through the modulation of dynamic hydrogen bonds. This approach can serve as a semi-empirical technique for designing and building innovative NLMs in the times ahead.

An efficient strategy of charge compensation for Ni2+-activated SrTiO3 perovskite near-infrared phosphor toward optical imaging illumination

Near-infrared (NIR) light sources have great potential in applications such as optical imaging, non-destructive medical diagnosis, and non-visual lighting. Ni2+ activated phosphors as a class of newly discovered NIR emitting material shows broadband luminescent properties that covers NIR-II (1000–1600 nm) region which is relatively transparent and less scattering in tissues. However, it has shortcomings, such as low luminous efficiency and poor thermal stability that need to be improved. Here, we report the synthesis of new Ni2+-activated SrTiO3 perovskite-based broadband NIR phosphor by high-temperature solid-state reaction method, with M5+ (M = Ta, Sb, Nb, P) as the co-doping agent to compensate charges. By charge compensation, the new composition significantly improved the NIR emission intensity by 12 folds, increased the luminescence quantum efficiency from 7.9% to 19.7%, and improved the resistance to thermal quenching. We studied the synergistic effect of charge compensation on the luminescence performance of NIR phosphor by experimental and simulation approaches. We showed that co-doping of charge compensator improved NIR phosphors by eliminating electronic defects and introducing defect or distortion to lattice octahedra. We further demonstrate that NIR pc-LED can be made by packaging the optimized NIR phosphor with a UV LED chip. Its potential application in the field of optical imaging was discussed.

Chiral Luminescence Quantum Efficiency Engineered by Plasmonic Antennas

Chiral detection is critical for investigating many biological processes. We use numerical calculations to study the quantum efficiency (QE) of a chiral emitter modulated by plasmonic antennas. The chiral difference in QE is discovered when the chiral emitter is placed in the vicinity of the antenna. The chiral QE is position-dependent for symmetric and asymmetric antennas and can be modulated by designing chiral configurations. The local optical chirality and the coupled harmonic oscillator model can qualitatively explain the QE difference revealed by the numerical methods. That originates from the interference between resonant modes with different phases induced by chiral interactions, resulting in the different loss of coupled modes. Our results provide extended design ideas for enantioselective fluorescent recognition of chiral molecules.

Enhanced Luminescence of Long-Wavelength Broadband Near-Infrared Germanate Phosphors.

Long-wavelength broadband near-infrared (NIR) phosphors have attracted considerable interest in the fields of medical cosmetology and organic detection because of their special emission band. Herein, Ca2GeO4(CGO): Cr4+ NIR phosphor, presenting a broadband emission with longer wavelength ranging from 1100 to 1600 nm, has been synthesized. Further, the luminescence intensity and quantum efficiency of Cr4+ could be obviously improved via the energy transfer from Eu3+ to Cr4+. The energy transfer is dominated by the dipole-dipole mechanism, which can be inferred from the spectra and the decay curves. Furthermore, in order to evaluate the potential application, an NIR phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pc-LED) based on blue chip has been prepared. Consequently, CGO: Eu3+, Cr4+ exhibits proper output power and wider half-width than the NIR LED chip, indicating its great prospect for long-wavelength NIR pc-LED applications.

Crystal growth and spectral properties of Eu3+-doped La2CaB10O19 single crystals

The invention and commercial application of InGaN/GaN-laser diodes have made it feasible to directly obtain the visible lasing radiation by pumping rare earth (RE) doped laser crystals. Hence searching for new laser crystals with efficient luminescence and applicable optical and physical properties in the visible range is an essential work. Here, the crystal growth and spectral properties of a series of large-size Eu3+ doped La2CaB10O19 (Eu3+-LCB) single crystals with the nominal atomic ratios of 3%, 7%, and 10% have been well studied. High-quality Eu3+-LCB single crystals with the size of 45 × 30 × 17 mm3, was grown by top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) method. The luminescence probe was employed as the tool to identify occupation sites, demonstrating that Eu3+ ions enter into La3+ sites first, then occupy Ca2+ sites after the nominal atomic ratio of Eu3+ ions exceeds 7%. Based on the absorption and emission spectra, the intensity parameters, spontaneous transition probability, radiation lifetime, and fluorescence branch ratio for Eu3+-LCB single crystals are studied with the Judd–Ofelt theory. From the transient spectra, the emission cross-section, fluorescence decay lifetime and luminescence quantum efficiency are deduced, which exhibit the maximum performance at the nominal atomic ratio of 7% Eu3+. Combining the luminescence probe and spectral properties, it can be concluded that Eu3+ doped crystals will have the best spectral properties when Eu3+ occupation at the single La3+ sites reaches the maximum in LCB single crystals, which may be universal for RE-doped crystal with two possible occupation sites. Besides, our work demonstrates that the 7% Eu3+-LCB single crystal may be a promising medium for laser radiation in the visible region in comparison with other Eu3+ doped single crystals.

Efficient red-emitting SrZrO3:Eu3+ phosphor superstructures for display device applications

In the present report, a series of intense red light emitting SrZrO3:Eu3+ nanopowders were fabricated via low-cost eco-friendly hydrothermal route using Aloe vera gel as surfactant. Upon utilizing the powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) method the phase of the prepared nanopowders were evaluated. Pure single-phase tetragonal structure was observed from the PXRD results with no additional impurity peaks. The energy band gap of the fabricated powders was calculated by diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS) and found to be around 3.98 – 4.27 eV. High resolution scanning electron microscope (SEM) was utilized to study the morphological behavior of the prepared powders. Honeycomb-like structures were observed from the SEM micrographs. The particle size was evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and observed to be ∼ 42 nm. The interplanar distance was found to be around 0.32 nm. Photoluminescence properties were systematically studied in detail. The phosphors were successfully excited at 395 nm NUV light, producing intense red characteristics emission. The emission peaks were centered at 585 nm (5D0→7F1), 613 nm (5D0→7F2) and 648 nm (5D0→7F3). The photoluminescent concentration quenching was noticed beyond 5 mol% Eu3+ ion doping content. The dipole-dipole interaction resulting in cross relaxation was found to be the principal cause of concentration quenching mechanism. The color features such as Commission International de I'Eclairage (CIE) and correlated color temperature (CCT) were studied in detail. The optimized chromaticity coordinates were estimated to be (0.67, 0.32), which falls in the intense red region. The average CCT value obtained was 4328 K. The color purity was observed around ∼ 88%. In addition, the average internal quantum efficiency was calculated, and it was found to be 48%. The prepared powders exhibit excellent luminescence properties, quantum efficiency and high color purity. The obtained results indicate the possibility of the present powders in the fabrication of the red-light emitting diode applications.

Making Eu2+- and Sm2+-Doped Borates Fit for Solar Energy Applications

Despite the development of many luminescent materials for various applications, only a few of these phosphors are applicable for solar energy generation applications. This study used the conventional solid-state reaction method to synthesize different strontium borate compounds codoped with divalent europium and samarium ions. The material was optimized by varying the experimental procedure, the molar ratio of the boron, and the molar ratios of both codopants. Strontium hexaborate doped with a relatively high europium concentration and a low samarium concentration (Sr0.89B6O10:Eu0.1, Sm0.01) gave the optimum optical properties. These properties included a broad excitation range from 220 to 600 nm containing contributions from divalent europium and samarium ions. The material exhibited strong and narrow emission in the region from 650 to 850 nm following radiative transitions within the divalent samarium ions. The internal luminescence quantum efficiency of the optimized material was 79% (λex = 508.5 nm). There was no spectral overlap between the excitation and emission spectra, thereby reducing the reabsorption probability. These marked characteristics make this phosphor material appropriate for use as a solar radiation converter or for use in luminescent solar concentrators.