Luminescence characteristics of europium-ion doped BaMgAl 10 O 17 phosphors prepared via a sol-gel route employing polymerizing agents

Europium-ion doped BaMgAl 10 O 17 phosphors were prepared via both a sol-gel route and the conventional solid-state route. The effects of various preparation conditions on the optical properties of BaMgAl 10 O 17 based phosphors were investigated. The position of charge transfer band and emission characteristics of europium ions in Ba 0.9 Eu 0.1 MgAl 10 O 17 are observed to be different between those prepared by the sol-gel route and those derived from the solid-state route. The sites occupied by europium ions in BaMgAl 10 O 17 are found to depend upon the method of synthesis. The ratios of the intensity of 610 nm emission ( 5 D 0 ¡÷ 7 F 2 ) to that of 590 nm emission ( 5 D 0 ¡÷ 7 F 1 ) suggest that Eu 3+ ions are located in a more asymmetric environment for the sol-gel-derived phosphors as compared to that in phosphors prepared via the solid-state route. VUV-excited emission characteristics indicate that the prepared phosphors generate intense emission at 458 nm under excitation at 147 nm. In addition, the luminescence intensity of the sol-gel-derived phosphors is greater than that of the solid-state-route-derived phosphors. The sol-gel method employing polymerizing agents is demonstrated to be suitable for the synthesis of phosphors used in plasma display panels. ? 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.