A novel Sm singly doped LiCaZnVO phosphor: a potential luminescent material for multifunctional applications.

The Sm ion singly doped LiCaZnVO (LCZV) phosphors were synthesized by a traditional high-temperature solid-state method. The luminescence characteristics of the as-prepared samples were studied by photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra. Under 343 nm excitation, the synthesized phosphors exhibited color controllable emission induced by the efficient energy transfer from VO groups to Sm ions. Besides, the energy transfer efficiency was revealed to be about 58.4% when the dopant concentration was 4 mol%. By utilizing the as-prepared LCZV:Sm phosphors, commercial BaMgAlO:Eu blue-emitting phosphors and a near-ultraviolet light-emitting diode (LED) chip, a white LED device was fabricated. Under an injection current of 100 mA, the packaged LED device emitted pure white light with high color rendering index (88.4) and proper correlated color temperature (4320 K). By analyzing the thermal quenching behavior of the VO groups and Sm ions, the optical thermometric behavior of the Sm-doped LCZV compounds was investigated. The maximum absolute sensor sensitivity and relative sensor sensitivity were found to be 0.25 K and 1.8% K, respectively. Additionally, the emitting color of the studied samples was dependent on the temperature. Ultimately, the Sm-doped LCZV phosphors were potential candidates for indoor illumination, optical thermometry and safety signals in high temperature environments.