Preparation and luminescence properties of Eu₂O₃-doped NASICON-containing glass-ceramics

Abstract

This paper presents a physicochemical study of Na_{1 − x} Mg_{1 − x} Sc_{1 + x} (MoO₄)₃ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) glassceramics and oxide glasses containing different amounts of bismuth oxide and having broad glass-forming regions, which allows the composition and properties of the materials to be varied over a rather wide range. We have studied Eu³⁺ luminescence under ultraviolet excitation in glass-ceramics containing a crystalline phase with the composition Na_{1 − x} Mg_{1 − x} Sc_{1 + x} (MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5). The highest Eu³⁺ luminescence intensity is offered by the NaMgSc(MoO₄)₃ and Na_0.5Mg_0.5Sc_1.5(MoO₄)₃ materials. With increasing Eu₂O₃ concentration, the luminescence intensity increases, reaching the highest level at 5 mol %. The glass-ceramics have trigonal symmetry (sp. gr. $R\bar 3c$). The emission band at 614 nm (Eu^{3+ 5} D ₀ → ⁷ F ₂ transition) has high intensity, whereas the bands at 592 and 596 nm (⁵ D ₀ → ⁷ F ₁ transition) are rather weak. This suggests that Na_{1 − x} Mg_{1 − x} Sc_{1 + x} (MoO₄)₃:Eu³⁺ (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5) glass-ceramics are potentially attractive, bright red phosphors.