Dual-activator luminescence of LuAG:Mn4+/Tb3+ phosphor for optical thermometry

Mn4+ and Tb3+ singly doped and Mn4+/Tb3+ codoped lutetium aluminum garnet (Lu3Al5O12, or simply LuAG) phosphors were synthesized and investigated for the application of optical thermometry. X-ray powder diffraction and luminescence spectroscopy measurements were performed on all samples to analyze their crystal phases and optical properties. In particular, temperature-dependent luminescence of the LuAG:Mn4+/Tb3+ sample was measured at the temperature range of 270-420 K. The results showed that the luminescence intensity of Mn4+ has gone through a remarkable decline while the luminescence of Tb3+ has an only insignificant change with the rise of temperature which leads to a dramatic decrease in the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) between the two activator Mn4+ and Tb3+. Further analysis showed that the LuAG:Mn4+/Tb3+ sample used for temperature sensing has a high relative sensitivity with maximum value of 4.3% K-1 at 333 K. Our research indicated that this LuAG:Mn4+/Tb3+ material is a promising candidate for FIR-type optical temperature sensing.