Broad excitation spectra and bright reddish-orange emission of transparent phosphate glass excited by sunshine for greenhouses

Abstract A series of Mn2+/Sm3+ co-doped phosphate glasses have been synthesized by high temperature melting method to investigate reddish-orange emission materials for greenhouses. Experiments show that the Mn2+/Sm3+ co-doped glasses can be effectively excited by a wide spectrum (300–560 nm) and emit bright reddish-orange light. The intense emission bands for the co-doped phosphate glasses are from 590 nm to 660 nm, which exactly locate in the absorption domain of chlorophylls. Bright red–orange light emission is straightly observed by naked eyes when the sample is illuminated by sunlight without focused-lens. These improved luminescent properties show potential application in glass greenhouses.