Structural and luminescence properties of B2O3-Bi2O3-AlF3 glass doped with Eu3+, Tb3+and Tm3+ions

The B2O3-Bi2O3-AlF3 glass system doped with Eu3+, Tb3+, Tm3+ and triply doped with Eu3+/Tm3+/Tb3+ ions in different molar ratios were successfully synthesized. Glass transition and crystallization temperatures were examined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) measurements. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) confirmed the amorphous character of the samples. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed that the glass matrix consists of [BO3] and [BO4] structural units, while X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the presence of AlF3. An increase in luminescence spectra intensity was detected by Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (Pl), due to the presence of 10 mol% of AlF3. The RE3+ ions embedded in the glass matrix can be simultaneously excited by a single UV light. According to the CIE results the emitted color can be tunable by varying the excitation wavelength and sample composition. The presented results confirm that the proposed glass system could be a candidate for color-tunable phosphors in LEDs.

Automated summary

The B2O3-Bi2O3-AlF3 glass system doped with Eu3+, Tb3+, Tm3+ and triply doped with Eu3+/Tm3+/Tb3+ ions in different molar ratios were successfully synthesized. The glass matrix consists of [BO3] and [BO4] structural units, and AlF3 was also present. The luminescence spectra intensity increased with the presence of 10 mol% of AlF3, and the emitted color can be tunable by varying the excitation wavelength and sample composition. The proposed glass system shows potential as color-tunable phosphors in LEDs.