The luminescence and stabilities of Sm2+ ions doped in LiBaB9O15

Sm3+-doped LiBaB9O15 polycrystalline sample was prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction. The phase formation of the sample was investigated by X-ray powder diffraction measurement. X-ray irradiation could cause Sm3+ → Sm2+ conversion in this host. The luminescence spectra and decay curves of the Sm2+ ions were investigated. The thermal-stability of the Sm2+ ions generated by X-ray irradiation was investigated by taking the luminescence spectra after heat treatment at different temperatures in air. The photo-stability of the Sm2+ ions was evaluated by photo-bleaching method by monitoring the 5D0 → 7F0 luminescence transition under the excitation at 488 nm of Ar+ laser. The results showed that the Sm2+ ions in LiBaB9O15 created by X-ray irradiation had higher stability than the reported references.