Synthesis and luminescent properties of Sm3+ doped zinc aluminate phosphor

Abstract

Zinc Aluminate (ZnAl2O4) is a well-known wide band gap oxide that belongs to a class of mixed-metal oxides knows as spinels (AB2O4) where A and B are divalent and trivalent cations. Herein, the structural and photoluminescence properties of Sm3+ ion doped with ZnAl2O4 phosphors are reported. The nanophosphors were synthesized via solution combustion synthesis route at temperature 570 °C. The synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy, and Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy. The XRD pattern confirms the cubic phase of phosphor. The calculated lattice parameter were found as a = b = c = 8.0517Å and V = 521.85Å3. The crystallite size of the phosphor was calculated using the Debye-Scherrer formula and found to be ∼19 nm. The emission spectrum at excitation wavelength of 401 nm gave the emission peaks at 563 nm, 601 nm, 648 nm, 697 nm corresponding to the transitions 4G5/2→ 6H5/2, 4G5/2→6H7/2, 4G5/2→6H9/2, 4G5/2 → 6H11/2 of Sm3+ ions, respectively. The diffuse reflectance spectrum was used to calculate the band gap of material and found to be 5.12 eV. The CIE coordinates were found to be (x = 0.56, y = 0.40) that falls in the orange red region of the color gamut. The present phosphor may have potential applications as phosphor for near UV WLED for solid state lighting.