Lattice distortion effects induced by Li+ co-doping on ZnO:Tb3+ phosphors: Photoluminescence and unusual hypersensitive ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₀ transition

A series of Tb3+, Li+ co-doped ZnO phosphors were prepared using a precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated the successful incorporation of Tb3+ into the ZnO lattice. The influence of Tb3+ doping content and Li+ charge compensator on the photoluminescence (PL) properties of ZnO:Tb3+ was investigated. Under UV excitation, emissions corresponding to electron transitions 5D4→7FJ (J=0,1,2,3,4,5,6) were observed from Tb3+ ions, including an unusual emission transition at 673 nm, which significantly enriches our understanding of Tb3+ luminescence. The critical concentration quenching of Tb3+ in ZnO:Tb3+ occurs at 7 mol% , as explained by the Van Uitert equation, which attributes this phenomenon to dipole-dipole interactions. Surprisingly, incorporating Li+ for charge balancing led to a reduction in the luminescence intensity of ZnO:7 mol%Tb3+, x%Li+ phosphors (x=0.01 and 0.07) at 544 nm. This reduction highlights an increased degree of lattice distortion due to Li⁺ inclusion. Furthermore, CIE chromaticity analysis showed that the optimal doping concentration of 0.07 Tb³⁺ shifted the color coordinates towards vivid green, with a color temperature of approximately 6241 K, indicating of neutral white light.