Photoluminescence properties of (Eu, Tb, Tm) co-doped ZnMoO4 obtained by sonochemical method
ZnMoO4: Tm3+ - Tb3+ - Eu3+, Sonochemistry, Photoluminescence
A new class of inorganic materials, which emerge as a promising option in high-performance applications in the field of photoluminescence, has received special attention. This group consists of the molybdates, XMoO4 (X: metal), 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 particles were synthesized and the series ZnMoO4: 1% Tb3+, 1% Tm3+, x Eu3+ (x = 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5 e 3 mol%) obtained by sonochemical method. The influence of dopant content on photoluminescent behavior was investigated. The X-ray diffraction results confirmed the formation of the α-ZnMoO4 phase with triclinic crystalline structure for the particles. The values of the gap energy are in the range of 3.55 and 4.25 eV. The SEM images show an evolution of the particle morphology in accordance with the increase in doping. The results of photoluminescence clearly show the specific emissions of Tm3+, Tb3+ and Eu3+, simultaneously, with a strong contribution of the matrix. The samples showed emission in the orange region according to the values of the calculated chromaticity coordinates.