Luminescence enhancement of (Ca,Zn)TiO3:Pr3+ phosphor using nanosized silica powder

The results pertaining to luminescence enhancement due to high-temperature amalgamation of nanometer-sized silica powder and the oxide mixture of calcium, zinc, titanium, and praseodymium are presented. The (Ca,Zn)TiO3:Pr3+ phosphor showed an intense and narrow band emission at ∼614nm under ambient light/ultraviolet excitation, which is associated with the typical H43→D21 transition of Pr3+. The observed red emission is quite stable and long (∼60min) for a dark-adapted human eye and shows no appreciable degradation in the optical properties for prolonged exposure to surrounding/atmosphere. With the addition of nanosized silica powder, the photoluminescence was augmented nearly 1.6 times as that of unadded sample. The present results are entirely different from those reported previously for Pr3+ doped-(Ca,Zn)TiO3 phosphor and silica-based persistent phosphors.