Synthesis of orange emitting Sm3+ doped sodium calcium silicate phosphor by sol-gel method for photonic device applications

Abstract Samarium (Sm3+) doped sodium calcium silicate (Na2CaSiO4: NCS) phosphors have been synthesized by employing a sol-gel technique. The structural, morphological, excitation and emission spectral studies have been carried out for the as-prepared phosphors. The phase purity in synthesized NCS phosphor with cubic structure has been confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern. The scanning electron microscopic images depict the irregular morphology and non-uniform microcrystalline particles in synthesized phosphor. The excitation spectra of NCS: Sm3+ phosphors disclose strong absorption in UV (ultraviolet), n-UV (near UV) and blue spectral regions. The emission spectra recorded under 402 nm excitation exhibit peaks at 565, 602 and 649 nm attributed to characteristic 4f-4f transitions of Sm3+ ions. The Sm3+ concentration optimized for NCS host as 1.0 mol%, and concentration quenching phenomenon has been discussed in detail. The chromaticity coordinates (0.579, 0.419) for optimized NCS: Sm3+ phosphor lie in the pure orange region. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence studies demonstrate that luminescence intensity even at 423 and 463 K persists up to 85.4 and 79.6% of the intensity at room temperature, respectively. Above mentioned results substantiate the potentiality of NCS: Sm3+ phosphor to use as a thermally stable orange emitting component in photonic devices.