Optical properties of Eu-activated calcium aluminosilicates synthesized in different atmospheres

Abstract The optical properties of Eu-activated CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 appear to be totally dependent on the atmosphere during the synthesis processing. Compared with oxidizing/reducing-sintered samples, a significant enhancement in both the photoluminescence and afterglow for the vacuum-sintered sample is observed. The deficiency of energy transfer among the different emission centers is the prevailing contribution to the highest photoluminescence intensity of the vacuum-sintered sample. A distinction in afterglow characteristics of CaAl 2 Si 2 O 8 :Eu prepared in different atmosphere is suggested to be mainly due to the distribution of different trap depths at three types of emission centers.