Structure–Dopant Concentration Relations in Europium-Doped Yttrium Molybdate and Peak-Sharpening for Luminescence Temperature Sensing

Abstract

first_pagesettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessArticle Structure–Dopant Concentration Relations in Europium-Doped Yttrium Molybdate and Peak-Sharpening for Luminescence Temperature Sensing by Tamara Gavrilović *,Aleksandar Ćirić *,Mina Medić,Zoran RistićORCID,Jovana Periša,Željka AntićORCID andMiroslav D. Dramićanin Center of Excellence for Photoconversion, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences-National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia * Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed. Materials 2024, 17(17), 4267; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma17174267 Submission received: 23 July 2024 / Revised: 12 August 2024 / Accepted: 20 August 2024 / Published: 28 August 2024 (This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploring the Versatility of Piezoelectric and Dielectric Electroceramics: Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Versions Notes Abstract A set of Eu3+-doped molybdates, Y2−xEuxMo3O12 (x = 0.04; 0.16; 0.2; 0.4; 0.8; 1; 1.6; 2), was synthesized using a solid-state technique and their properties studied as a function of Eu3+ concentration. X-ray diffraction showed that the replacement of Y3+ with larger Eu3+ resulted in a transformation from orthorhombic (low doping concentrations) through tetragonal (high doping concentrations), reaching monoclinic structure for full replacement in Eu2Mo3O12. The intensity of typical Eu3+ red emission slightly increases in the orthorhombic structure then rises significantly with dopant concentration and has the highest value for the tetragonal Y2Mo3O12:80mol% Eu3+. Further, the complete substitution of Y3+ with Eu3+ in the case of monoclinic Eu2Mo3O12 leads to decreased emission intensity. Lifetime follows a similar trend; it is lower in the orthorhombic structure, reaching slightly higher values for the tetragonal structure and showing a strong decrease for monoclinic Eu2Mo3O12. Temperature-sensing properties of the sample with the highest red Eu3+ emission, Y2Mo3O12:80mol% Eu3+, were analyzed by the luminescence intensity ratio method. For the first time, the peak-sharpening algorithm was employed to separate overlapping peaks in luminescence thermometry, in contrast to the peak deconvolution method. The Sr (relative sensitivity) value of 2.8 % K−1 was obtained at room temperature.