Study on photoluminescence and energy transfer of Eu³⁺/Sm³⁺ single-doped and co-doped BaB₈O₁₃ phosphors

A series of Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ and Eu³⁺- Sm³⁺ doped BaB₈O₁₃ were synthesized by using a solution combustion method. When excited at 394 nm, BaB₈O₁₃: Eu³⁺ emits red light, and the strongest peak was located at 614 nm, which is attributed to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺. BaB₈O₁₃: Sm³⁺ produced red-orange light, and the major emission peak was located at 596 nm under the 402 nm radiation excitation, which is assigned to the ⁴G_5/2→⁶H_7/2 transition of Sm³⁺. When excited at 402 nm, the PL emission intensity from BaB₈O₁₃: 0.05Eu³⁺; 0.005Sm³⁺ at 614 nm was enhanced considerably compared to that of the sample without Sm³⁺, suggesting that energy was transferred from Sm³⁺ to Eu³⁺. The Commission International de I′Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of BaB₈O₁₃: 0.05Eu³⁺; 0.005Sm³⁺ powder phosphor (0.637, 0.362) are located in the red region indicating that the phosphor can serve as a source of red light in LEDs.