Synthesis and Luminescence Properties of Cube-Structured CaSnO[sub 3]∕RE[sup 3+](RE=Pr,Tb) Long-Lasting Phosphors

Uniform and cube-structured -doped phosphors have been successfully synthesized by a two-step approach including the room-temperature synthesis of precursors with the help of cetyltrimethylammoniumbromide surfactant and then converted to by calcination at . The decomposition process of the precursor, crystallization, and morphology of the as-synthesized phosphors have been investigated using thermal analysis, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore, luminescence properties of phosphors, including photoluminescence, fluorescence lifetime, afterglow decay, and thermoluminescence, are also systematically discussed in this paper. The as-synthesized and doped CaSnO3 phosphors show intense luminescence under ultraviolet excitation. Moreover, the afterglow emission from phosphors lasts for more than after the ultraviolet irradiation source has been removed. Both the fluorescence and afterglow decay curves of the phosphors contain one fast decay component and another slow decay process. Thermoluminescence spectra indicate that the incorporation of ions into the host produces suitable trapping centers, which are the origin of the long-lasting phosphorescence phenomenon in this kind of material at room temperature.