Down-conversion characteristics of Eu3+ doped M2Y2Si2O9 (M = Ba, Ca, Mg and Sr) nanomaterials for innovative solar panels

• Main Authors: Suman Sheoran, Vachan Singh, Sitender Singh, Sonika Kadyan, Jasbir Singh, Devender Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2019-08-01
• Series: Progress in Natural Science: Materials International
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1002007118308670

Down-conversion properties of Eu3+ doped M2Y2Si2O9 (M = Ba, Ca, Mg, Sr) phosphors have been investigated in detail. These phosphors were synthesized via the simple, fast and cost-effective sol-gel technique at a temperature of 950 °C. Color coordinates and emission color can be altered by the varying concentration of dopant ion in Ca2Y2Si2O9 phosphor. Optimum luminescence intensity was obtained when doping 0.03 mol of Eu3+ ion. Using the excitation wavelength of 395 nm, these silicates showed strong red color, pure and sharp spectral peaks in visible region due to 5D0→7F1-3 transitions of Eu3+ present in the lattice. Effect of reaction temperature on luminescence was also analyzed for these phosphors. The sharp peaks in the X-ray diffraction pattern indicated the high crystallinity of prepared phosphors. Ca2Y2Si2O9 has shown an orthorhombic crystal structure. The FTIR results confirmed the metal-oxygen vibrational modes available in the range of 400–1600 cm−1. Transmission electron microscopy images have revealed that the variation of alkaline earth metal provided a very different crystal structure. Excellent down conversion response of these phosphor materials can provide a great significance in the application of the coming solar devices. Keywords: M2Y2Si2O9:Eu3+, Phosphor, Sol-gel, Lattice, Solar devices