X-ray absorption study of rare earth ions in Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,R3+ persistent luminescence materials

In English The valence of the europium dopant and selected rare earth co-dopants (Ce3+, Dy3+, and Yb3+) in the Sr2MgSi2O7:Eu2+,R3+ persistent luminescence materials were studied by room temperature XANES measurements. The results indicated the co-existence of both divalent and trivalent europium in all the studied materials. The relative amount of Eu3+ was observed to increase upon increasing exposure to X-rays, as expected by the persistent luminescence mechanism. This suggests a simultaneous filling of oxygen vacancies initially created by the reducing preparation conditions. For the Dy and Yb co-dopants, only trivalent species were observed. On the other hand, traces of tetravalent cerium were present in the Eu,Ce co-doped materials. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.