Pr- and Mn-doped phosphor materials: Synthesis, structural and optical characterization

• Grant number: 24/22584-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Alexandre Mesquita
• Grantee: Alexandre Mesquita
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências e Ciências Exatas (IGCE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Rio Claro. Rio Claro , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Adriano José Galvani Otuka ; Fábio Simões de Vicente

Abstract

The search for environment-friendly, less-expensive, facile to synthesize, and efficient phosphor materials is an important issue for optoelectronic devices. In this sense, Pr- and Mn- doped calcium and strontium aluminates, calcium and strontium titanates, zinc sulfide and zinc silicate compounds have received remarkable attention because of their fundamental properties, versatility, and potential for several technological applications. However, there is an absence in the literature of studies showing how defects in the lattice, such as symmetry breaking or vacancies, influence the activators and sensitizers. This project aims to characterize these materials using the electronic paramagnetic resonance (EPR) technique and correlate them with photoluminescent properties. This technique can provide information about oxidation states, symmetry, and defects associated with the respective incorporations in the matrix, which is fundamental for a better understanding of the photoluminescent properties. Structural properties of the samples will also be characterized by conventional techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman and FTIR spectroscopies, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. (AU)