Perovskite SrZrO 3 :Ho 3+ phosphors: synthesis, structure, Judd-Ofelt analysis and photoluminescence properties.

A series of SrZrO 3 : x Ho 3+ ( x = 0.01, 0.03, 0.05, 0.07, 0.09, and 0.11 mol) perovskite phosphors have been synthesized by using the sol-gel technique. The structural and optical characteristics of the prepared phosphors have been investigated through powder XRD, FT-IR, UV-visible diffuse reflectance, and photoluminescence analysis. The photoluminescence emission spectra showed a bright characteristic peak at 545 nm ( 5 F 4 + 5 S 2 → 5 I 8 ) under the 454 nm excitation, which exhibits emission in the green region of the electromagnetic spectrum. The emission intensity of the phosphors starts decreasing slowly beyond 3 mol% Ho 3+ ions concentration due to concentration quenching, which is attributed to the dipole-dipole interaction between Ho 3+ ions. The site symmetry of the Ho 3+ ions has been studied by estimating the relative Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters ( Ω λ , where λ = 2, 4, 6) from the photoluminescence excitation spectrum of the SrZrO 3 :0.03Ho 3+ phosphor. The obtained findings suggest that the synthesized phosphors will be favorable for their bright green emission and thus, can be widely used for different optoelectronic applications.