Luminescence properties and energy transfer of GdAl3(BO3)4:Ce3+, Tb3+ phosphor

Abstract Ce 3+ and Tb 3+ singly doped and co-doped GdAl 3 (BO 3 ) 4 phosphors were synthesized by solid state reaction. The crystal structure, the luminescent properties, the lifetimes and the temperature-dependent luminescence characteristic of the phosphors were investigated. Through an effective energy transfer, the emission spectra of GdAl 3 (BO 3 ) 4 :Ce 3+ , Tb 3+ phosphor contains both a broad band in the range of 330–400 nm originated from Ce 3+ ions and a series of sharp peaks at 484, 541, 583, and 623 nm due to Tb 3+ ions. The energy transfer from Ce 3+ to Tb 3+ in GdAl 3 (BO 3 ) 4 host is demonstrated to be phonon assisted nonradiative energy transfer via a dipole–dipole interaction.