High Eu 3+ concentration quenching in Y 3 TaO 7 solid solution for orange-reddish emission in photonics.

We report the synthesis of a Y 3 TaO 7 solid solution containing a high Eu 3+ concentration (from 7 up to 50 mol%) and investigate how Eu 3+ influences the Y 3 TaO 7 crystallization process. To this end, we evaluate the Y 3 TaO 7 structural features and photoluminescence properties after Eu 3+ introduction into the Y 3 TaO 7 lattice. The higher the Eu 3+ ion concentration, the more stable the crystallization process of the Y 3 TaO 7 phase seems to be. The Eu 3+ -containing Y 3 TaO 7 displays intense orange-reddish, broad band emission because Eu 3+ occupies different symmetry sites in the host and causes inhomogeneous broadening. Eu 3+ emission quenching due to Eu 3+ concentration is negligible up to 30 mol% and absolute quantum yield values of up to nearly 30% were obtained, making Eu 3+ -containing Y 3 TaO 7 interesting materials for application as high-intensity emitters in photonics.