Photoluminescence Studies of Eu3+ Activated Y2Sr3B4O12 Phosphor for Photovoltaic Application

Y₂Sr₃B₄O₁₂ phosphors doped with europium ions were synthesized by a modified conventional solid-state reaction method. Characterizations of the prepared samples, viz., X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence (PL), and Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage were studied. The XRD analysis confirmed the formation of mixed phase due to polyborate and has a hexagonal crystalline yttrium orthoborate phosphor. SEM images showed the irregular morphology of the sample. The grain size distribution was broad and the average size was found to range from 2 μm to 100 nm. PL measurements showed excitation and emission characteristics of the prepared phosphor with different concentrations of the doping ion. From the emission spectra, it was clearly observed that the emission intensity of the magnetic dipole was higher than that of electric dipole transition owing to the Eu³⁺ ions occupying a higher symmetry site in the Y₂Sr₃B₄O₁₂ host. The intensity of PL increased with increasing concentration of the doping ion up to 2.0 mol.%; after that, the PL intensity decreased owing to the concentration-quenching phenomenon. The results indicated that Y₂Sr₃B₄O₁₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors can be selected as a potential candidate for solar cell/photovoltaic application.