Tunable luminescence properties and energy transfer in LaAl₁₁O₁₈:Eu,Tb phosphor.

Eu(2+) and Tb(3+) singly doped and co-doped LaAl11O18 phosphors were prepared by a combustion method using urea as a fuel. The phase structure and photoluminescence (PL) properties of the prepared phosphors were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra. When the content of Eu(2+) was fixed at 0.01, the emission chromaticity coordinates could be adjusted from blue to green region by tuning the contents of Tb(3+) ions from 0.01 to 0.03 through an energy transfer (ET) process. The fluorescence data collected from the samples with different contents of Tb(3+) into LaAl11O18: Eu, show the enhanced green emission at 545 nm associated with (5)D(4)-(7)F(5) transitions of Tb(3+). The enhancement was attributed to ET from Eu(2+) to Tb(3+), and therefore Eu(2+) ion acts as a sensitizer (an energy donor) while Tb(3+) ion as an activator. The ET from Eu(2+) to Tb(3+) is performed through dipole-dipole interaction. The ET efficiency and critical distance were also calculated. The present Eu(2+)-Tb(3+) co-doped LaAl11O18 phosphor will have potential application for UV convertible white light-emitting diodes.