| Enhancing the luminescence intensity of Eu3+-activated BaZnGeO4 phosphors: Judd–Ofelt analysis, lighting, and latent fingerprints applications |
| Duan Gao1, Shang Gao2, Shengyi Liu2, Xin Chen3, Xilai Zhang4, Li Wang2, Wenbin Song2, Han Yin2, Ying Zhu2, Qianmiao Yu2 |
1Department of Public Security Management, Liaoning Police College, Dalian, 116036, Liaoning, China
2School of Intelligence and Electronic Engineering, Dalian Neusoft University of Information, Dalian, 116026, Liaoning, China
3College of Science, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, 116026, Liaoning, China
4School of Electrical Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia |
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Received: March 3, 2025; Revised: May 7, 2025 Accepted: May 22, 2025. Published online: June 7, 2025. |
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| ABSTRACT |
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The migration tendency of Eu3+ ion doping sites and their local symmetry play a critical role in determining luminescent properties. The local crystal field environment of Eu3+ doping sites is quantitatively investigated based on Judd–Ofelt theory, and the influence of increasing Eu3+ concentration on crystal field variations and the resulting luminescence performance is systematically explored. Comprehensive analyses of PL, PLE, diffuse reflectance, and fluorescence lifetime were conducted under 278 nm and 394 nm excitation to elucidate how crystal field effects modulate intra-4f6 electronic transitions within the Eu3+:4f6 configuration, thereby governing emission behavior. The optimal BaZnGeO4:15 mol% Eu3+ sample exhibits high color purity, emitting orange light (82.20%) and orange-red light (98.83%) under 278 nm and 394 nm excitation. Temperature-dependent experiments reveal exceptional thermal stability, with the material retaining 92.5% of its initial emission intensity at 120 °C, where thermal quenching is primarily governed by a cross-relaxation mechanism (activation energy ΔE ≈ 0.27 eV). Furthermore, in latent fingerprint detection applications, the phosphor demonstrates superior substrate adaptability and high-resolution imaging capability under UV excitation, significantly outperforming conventional powders. |
| Key words:
Latent fingerprint visualization · Judd–Ofelt · Europium ions · Selection rules for transitions · Local crystal field · Asymmetry |
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