The effect of Eu3+ ion on photoluminescence and scintillator properties in QS-P2O5-CaO-BaO-Gd2O3 glasses

In this study, Eu 3+ -doped silica-phosphate with the composition (15-x) QS-50P 2 O 5 -15CaO-10BaO-10Gd 2 O 3 -xEu 2 O 3 (with x = 0; 0.5; 1.0; 1.5 and 2.0 mol%) were successfully synthesized using locally sourced quartz sand (QS) from Huta Ginjang, Indonesia via the melt-quenching method. The effect of Eu 3+ concentration on the photoluminescence and scintillation-related properties was systematically investigated. UV–Vis–NIR absorption spectra revealed six characteristic bands attributed to intra 4f transitions of Eu 3+ ions, namely, 7 F 0 → 5 L 6 (∼394 nm), 7 F 0 → 5 D 3 (∼413 nm), 7 F 0 → 5 D 2 (∼464 nm), 7 F 1 → 5 D 1 (∼531 nm), and near-infrared transitions at ∼2100 nm and ∼2206 nm for 7 F 0 → 7 F 6 and 7 F 1 → 7 F 6 transitions respectively. Photoluminescence analysis demonstrated intense red emission dominated by the 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 transition at 613 nm, confirming the hypersensitive nature of Eu 3+ ions in an asymmetric glass environment. Energy transfer from Gd 3+ to Eu 3+ was evidenced by lifetime reduction and enhanced emission intensity under UV excitation. Chromaticity analysis yielded stable red emission with high color purity (∼94%) and correlated color temperature around 2600 K. X-ray induced luminescence further confirmed the coexistence of Gd 3+ (311 nm) and Eu 3+ (613 nm) emissions, highlighting the scintillation potential of the glass system. These results demonstrate that Eu 3+ -doped QS–P 2 O 5 –CaO–BaO–Gd 2 O 3 glasses are promising candidates for red-emitting photonic devices and radiation detection applications, with tunable optical performance governed by Eu 3+ concentration.