Novel orange red emitting Sm3 + activated BaBi2Nb2O9 phosphor: A promising candidate for solid state lighting and plant growth lighting applications

A series of novel Sm 3+ activated multifunctional triple perovskite BaBi 2 Nb 2 O 9 phosphors were successfully synthesized by the conventional high temperature solid state reaction method. XRD analysis confirmed the formation of tetragonal crystal structure with I 4 /mmm space group. FESEM and HRTEM analysis revealed the irregular plate-like morphology. In PL spectroscopy under 405 nm excitation, the prepared phosphor shows intense orange-red emission at 597 nm corresponding to the 4 G 5/2 to 6 H 7/2 transition. The radiative properties were evaluated using Judd-Ofelt theory, and JO intensity parameters followed the trend Ω 2 >Ω 6 >Ω 4 . Also, the decay profile shows single exponential behaviour with an average lifetime of the order of milliseconds. BaBi 2-x Nb 2 O 9 : xSm 3+ phosphor has an activation energy of 0.316 eV and holds good thermal stability. The calculated chromaticity coordinates (0.548,0.445) lie in the warm region with excellent color purity. The PL and EL spectra exhibit spectral overlap with absorption bands of plant photoreceptors. These results indicate the promising applicability of Sm 3+ activated BaBi 2 Nb 2 O 9 phosphors in solid state lighting, optical displays and plant growth lighting systems.