Multiple Energy Transfer in Luminescence-Tunable Single-Phased Phosphor NaGdTiO4: Tm3+, Dy3+, Sm3+

Abstract

Advances in solid-state white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) necessitate the urgent development of highly efficient single-phase phosphors with tunable photoluminescence properties. Herein, the Tm3+, Dy3+, and Sm3+ ions are incorporated into the orthorhombic NaGdTiO4 (NGT) phosphors, resulting in phosphors that fulfill the aforementioned requirement. The emission spectrum of Tm3+ ions overlaps well with the adsorption spectra of both Dy3+ and Sm3+ ions. Under the excitation at 358 nm, the single-phase NaGdTiO4: Tm3+, Dy3+, Sm3+ phosphor exhibits tunable emission peaks in the blue, yellow, and red regions simultaneously, resulting in an intense white-light emission. The coexisting energy transfer behaviors from Tm3+ to Dy3+ and Sm3+ ions and the energy transfer from Dy3+ to Sm3+ ions are demonstrated to be responsible for this phenomenon. The phosphors with multiple energy transfers enable the development of single-phase white-light-emitting phosphors for phosphor-converted WLEDs.