Photoluminescent properties of ZnMoO₄ codoped with rare earth ions obtained from the sleep chemical method

Full text: A new class of inorganic materials, which emerge as a promising option in high performance applications in the field of photoluminescence, has gained special attention. This group consists of the molybdates, XMoO₄ (X: metal ion), doped with rare earth elements (RE). The characteristics that describe these materials are: high luminous efficiency, long decay time and emission presentation in the visible. In this work ZnMoO₄ and ZnMoO₄: 1% Tm³⁺, 1% Tb³⁺, x Eu³⁺ (x = 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 and 3 mol%) particles were synthesized from the sonochemical method. The influence of dopant content and heat treatment on photoluminescent behavior was investigated. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed the formation of α- ZnMoO₄phase with triclinic crystalline structure for the particles. The values of the gap energy are in the range of 3.58 and 4.22 eV. The images of the FE-SEM show a change in particle morphology in accordance with increased doping. (author)