Controllable hydrothermal synthesis of Eu3+/Tb3+/Dy3+ activated Zn-8[(BO3)(3)O-2(OH)(3)] micro/nanostructured phosphors: energy transfer and tunable emissions

摘要

A series of novel Tb3+, Dy3+ single-doped and Eu3+/Tb3+, Tb3+/Dy3+ co-doped Zn-8[(BO3)(3)O-2(OH)(3)](ZBH) micro/nano structured phosphors have been prepared under hydrothermal conditions without employing any template or surfactant. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), field transmittance electron microscopy (FTEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and fluorescent decay times were used to characterize the as-prepared samples. The XRD, SEM and TEM results indicate that the doped concentration of RE (rare earth) ions can change the crystallinity and morphology of the matrix. The PL results indicate that ZBH:Tb3+ is a good green phosphor. When Eu3+ and Tb3+ ions are co-doped into the ZBH matrix, the phosphor yielded tunable emissions including tri-band established white light emission based on the co-doped RE concentration and excitation wavelength, which was confirmed by the calculated Commission International de l'Eclairage chromaticity coordinates of Eu3+/Tb3+ co-doped ZBH phosphors. When Dy3+ and Tb3+ ions are co-doped into the ZBH matrix, Tb3+ emission is sensitized by Dy3+ through a non-radiative resonant energy transfer, and there also exists energy transfer from the matrix to Dy3+ under UV excitation including in the single-doped sample. The energy transferred from Tb3+ to Eu3+ ions, Dy3+ to Tb3+ and Tb3+ back to Dy3+ was controlled by selecting a suitable excitation wavelength, and decay measurements were carried out to analyze the energy transfer efficiency.