Luminescence study of reduced samarium in barium lithium nonaborate and barium sodium nonaborate

Samarium doped barium lithium nonaborate and barium sodium nonaborate have been generated by firing stoichiometric mixtures of a co-precipitaed Sm(III):Ba(II) borate with lithium or sodium acetate and boric acid. The formation of the two isostructural systems was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Divalent samarium formation in both systems was confirmed by emission spectroscopy. The divalent samarium emission features characteristic of the two systems are reported and compared. Although known to be isostructural, significant variations are apparent in the emission patterns obtained from the two systems. However it is suggested that variations in the intensities of emission from two specific samarium sites give rise to the observed difference. The symmetries associated with the two samarium sites in barium lithium nonaborate have been suggested to be C4v and a distorted Oh.