Outstanding photoluminescence in Pr3+-doped perovskite ceramics

Abstract

Ba (Zr0.2Ti0.8) O3-50% (Ba0.7Ca0.3) TiO3 (BZT-0.5BCT) ceramics with different doping contents of Pr3+ were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction. The phase structure and crystallinity of the fabricated ceramics were investigated by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra were measured to analyze the PL characteristics. The strong intensities of a green band at 489 nm and a red band at 610 nm were observed. The maximum emission intensity of the PL spectrum was achieved in the BZT-0.5BCT ceramic with 0.2% mol of Pr3+ ions. Furthermore, the PL spectra of BZT-0.5BCT ceramics were found to be sensitive to polarization of the ferroelectric ceramics. Compared with the unpoled ceramics, the green emission increased about 42% and a new emission peak at 430 nm appeared for the poled ceramics. With excellent intrinsic ferroelectricity and an enhanced PL property, such material has potential to realize multifunctionality in a wide application range.