Photoluminescence of green nanophosphors Sr₂MgSi₂O₇ doped with Tb³⁺ under 374-nm excitation

A series of Sr₂MgSi₂O₇:Tb³⁺ nanophosphors is prepared using a high-temperature solid-state reaction. The x-ray diffraction patterns show that the crystal structure of the sample is not significantly affected by Tb³⁺ ions. However, the images of the scanning electron microscope illustrate that the average size of nanoparticles becomes larger with the increase of Tb³⁺ concentration. Unlike earlier investigations on down-conversion emission of Tb³⁺ ion excited by deep ultraviolet light, in this work, the photoluminescence characteristics of Sr₂MgSi₂O₇ nanophosphors doped with different Tb³⁺ concentrations are analyzed under 374-nm excitations. The intense green emission at 545 nm is observed at an optimal doping concentration of 1.6 mol%. The main reason for the concentration quenching is due to the electric dipole-electric dipole interaction among Tb³⁺ ions.