Tunable emission, energy transfer and charge compensation in SrMoO4:Sm3+,Tb3+,Na+ phosphor

A series of SrMoO 4 :Sm 3+ ,Tb 3+ ,Na + phosphors was synthesized using a high-temperature solid-state reaction method in air. On excitation at 290 nm, SrMoO 4 :Sm 3+ ,Tb 3+ phosphor emitted light that varied systematically from green to reddish-orange on changing the Sm 3+ and Tb 3+ ion concentrations. The emission intensities of SrMoO 4 :Sm 3+ and SrMoO 4 :Sm 3+ ,Tb 3+ phosphors were increased two to four times due to charge compensation when Na + was added as a charge compensator. The luminescence mechanism and energy transfer could be explained using energy-level diagrams of the MoO 4 2– group, Sm 3+ and Tb 3+ ions. SrMoO 4 :Sm 3+ ,Tb 3+ ,Na + could be used as reddish-orange phosphor in white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) based on an ~ 405 nm near-UV LED chip. This research is helpful in adjusting and improving the luminescence properties of other phosphors. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.