Photoluminescence and optical temperature sensing in Sm3+-doped Ba0.85Ca0.15Ti0.90Zr0.10O3 lead-free ceramics

A series of orange-red emitting Sm 3+ activated Ba 0.85 Ca 0.15 Ti 0.90 Zr 0.10 O 3 (BCZT: x Sm 3+ , x  = 0.001–0.007) are synthesized by a conventional solid-state reaction method. The Sm 3+ ions composition dependent photoluminescence properties are systematically investigated. Under the excitation of a 407 nm near-ultraviolet light, the ceramics exhibit strong characteristic emission of Sm 3+ ions with dominant orange-red emission peak at around 595 nm, which is ascribed to the transition of 4 G 5/2 → 6 H 7/2 . The BCZT: 0.004Sm 3+ ceramic displays the optimal emission among these Sm 3+ -doped BCZT solid solutions . Moreover, the photoluminescence intensity exhibits extremely sensitive to temperature, suggesting that BCZT: 0.004Sm 3+ could be applicable for temperature sensing. A maximum relative sensitivity of 1.89% K −1 at 453 K is obtained. Furthermore, the existence of ferroelectricity in the BCZT host combined with Sm 3+ activated photoluminescence properties could be useful for developing optical-electro multifunctional materials and devices.