Luminescence Properties of Ba[sub 2]Mg(BO[sub 3])[sub 2]:Eu[sup 2+] Red Phosphors Synthesized by a Microwave-Assisted Sol-Gel Route

Fine-sized red-emitting phosphors were synthesized via a microwave-assisted sol–gel route. The crystallization process, structure, and morphology of the as-synthesized phosphor were characterized by thermogravimetry–differential thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analysis, respectively. The luminescence properties were characterized by diffuse reflection spectra (UV-visible) and photoluminescence spectra. The as-prepared phosphors had good excitation characteristics in the region of 320–450 nm, which perfectly matched the emission wavelength of near-UV light emitting diodes. Intense red emission peaking at 608 nm was obtained upon 365 nm excitation with the chromaticity coordinates of (0.585, 0.402). The energy transfer among the nearest-neighbor ions resulted in the concentration quenching of phosphor, and the critical distance was determined to be about 17.32 Å.