Luminescence of Eu3+ and Tb3+ doped Zn2SiO4 nanometer powder phosphors

We report, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, the luminescent properties of Tb3+ and Eu3+ doped Zn2SiO4 phosphors prepared by a sol–gel process. The phosphors have shown prominent luminescence in green and red, respectively, due to the electronic transitions of 5D0→7F2 (Eu3+) and 5D4→7F5 (Tb3+). Structural characterization of these luminescent materials was carried out with XRD and TEM. Luminescence spectra were analyzed by measuring the excitation, photoluminescence spectra and lifetimes of the emission transitions of Eu3+ (5D0→7FJ, J=1–5) and Tb3+ (5D4→7FJ, J=1–6). Our experimental results have shown that these phosphors have comparable luminescence properties as those currently used in TVs and CRTs.