Tb3+/Mn2+ singly/doubly doped Sr3Ce(PO4)3 for multi-color luminescence, excellent thermal stability and high-performance optical thermometry

A series of Tb3+ and Mn2+ singly/dually doped Sr3Ce(PO4)(3) (SCP) phosphors were successfully synthesized via gel-combustion, whose structure, temperature-dependent photoluminescence (298-573 K), thermal stability, energy transfer, and performance of optical thermometry were systematically investigated. The phosphors were demonstrated to have thermal stability increasing in the order SCP:0.15Mn(2+) < SCP < SCP:0.2Tb(3+)/0.2Mn(2+) < SCP:0.4Tb(3+) for the four typical compositions. SCP:0.4Tb(3+) exhibited zero-thermal-quenching in the studied temperature range, and application indicated that SCP:0.15Tb(3+)/0.05Mn(2+) can be a warm-white phosphor for UV-excited LEDs. While SCP:0.15Mn(2+) is not suitable for ratiometric temperature sensing, both SCP:0.4Tb(3+) and SCP:0.2Tb(3+)/0.2Mn(2+) were shown to be excellent phosphors for self-referencing optical thermometry. The SCP:0.4Tb(3+) phosphor presented absolute (S-A) and relative (S-R) sensitivities of similar to 3.90% (573 K) and 0.384% K-1 (298 K), respectively, repeatability factor of similar to 99%, and minimum temperature resolution of similar to 0.078 K with the I-Tb/I-Ce fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR). The SCP:0.2Tb(3+)/0.2Mn(2+) phosphor, on the other hand, showed maximum SA and SR values of similar to 1.62% K-1 (573 K) and 0.612% K-1 (298 K), respectively, repeatability factor of similar to 99%, and minimum temperature resolution of similar to 0.049 K with the I-Tb/I-Mn FIR. Multicolor luminescence was also achieved via manipulating activator concentration and through efficient energy transfer among Ce3+, Tb3+ and Mn2+. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.