Pure and strong red photoluminescence from Na 0.5 Gd 0.5 TiO 3 : Eu ferroelectric thin films under ultraviolet light excitation

Abstract A series of novel photoluminescent ferroelectric thin films Na 0.5 Gd 0.5 TiO 3 : x Eu (NGT: Eu) with various Eu 3+ doping concentrations were prepared at various heat-treated temperature, which have single pseudo-cubic perovskite structure at proper heat-treated temperature from 700 °C to 800 °C according to X-ray diffraction results. There existed narrow and intensive emission bands located at red light region ascribed to 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 and 5 D 0 → 7 F 1 transitions of Eu 3+ by 283 nm excitation. The strong energy absorption of NGT host and efficient energy transfer to Eu 3+ should be primarily responsible for the emissions. Gd 3+ acts as sensitizer which has an important role on the energy transfer from the host NGT to Eu 3+ . The luminescence from NGT: 0.25Eu thin films is the strongest for all the NGT: Eu films, and its color coordinate is (0.65, 0.32) close to ideal red light. The quenching concentration in NGT: Eu films reaches as high as 25%. The lifetime of emissive energy level Eu 3+ : 5 D 0 in NGT: 0.1Eu and NGT: 0.5Eu thin films is 1.024 ms and 0.931 ms, respectively. Finally, the ferroelectric property of NGT: 0.25Eu thin films was tested and the remanent polarization (2 P r ) is 7.10 μC/cm2 lower than that of Na 0.5 Bi 0.5 TiO 3 .