Enhanced photoluminescence and scintillation properties of Eu2Mo3O12 phosphors via Mo6+ stoichiometric tuning

This study demonstrates that the strategic control of the Mo 6+ stoichiometric ratio modulates the phase structure, photoluminescence (PL), and X-ray excited luminescence (XEL) properties of Eu 2 Mo 3(1+x) O 12 phosphors. An excess of Mo 6+ is shown to inhibit the α-Eu 2 Mo 3 O 12 phase and stabilize the β′-Eu 2 Mo 3 O 12 phase, with the Eu 2 Mo 3.15 O 12 composition achieving the highest β′-phase purity. The phase composition and associated defect-related effects collectively affect the luminescence behavior, enabling the optimal Eu 2 Mo 3.15 O 12 sample to exhibit the strongest Eu 3+ red emissions under both UV and X-ray excitation. Moreover, it exhibits a sensitive X-ray dose-rate response, a low detection limit (1.24 μGy s −1 ), and favorable radiation stability, indicating its potential as a promising red-emitting scintillator. These findings highlight the efficacy of host matrix engineering through cation stoichiometry control for developing high-performance molybdate-based scintillators.