Journal of Alloys and Compounds 509 (2011) 10185–10189 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Alloys and Compounds jou rn al h om epage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jallcom Photoluminescence and thermoluminescence studies of Mg 2 SiO 4 :Eu 3+ nano phosphor S.C. Prashantha a , B.N. Lakshminarasappa a,∗ , B.M. Nagabhushana b a Department of Physics, Bangalore University, Bangalore 560056, India b M.S. Ramaiah Institute of Technology, Bangalore 560054, India a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Received 18 October 2010 Received in revised form 24 March 2011 Accepted 28 March 2011 Available online 5 April 2011 Keywords: Mg2SiO4:Eu 3+ Phosphor Photoluminescence Thermoluminescence Optical absorption a b s t r a c t Nanoparticles of Eu 3+ doped Mg 2 SiO 4 are prepared using low temperature solution combustion technique with metal nitrate as precursor and urea as fuel. The synthesized samples are calcined at 800 ◦ C for 3 h. The Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) patterns of the sample reveled orthorhombic structure with -phase. The crystallite size using Scherer’s formula is found to be in the range 50–60 nm. The effect of Eu 3+ on the luminescence characteristics of Mg 2 SiO 4 is studied and the results are presented here. These phosphors exhibit bright red color upon excitation by 256 nm light and showed the characteristic emission of the Eu 3+ ions. The electronic transition corresponding to 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 of Eu 3+ ions (612 nm) is stronger than the magnetic dipole transition corresponding to 5 D 0 → 7 F 1 of Eu 3+ ions (590 nm). Thermoluminescence (TL) characteristics of -rayed Mg 2 SiO 4 :Eu 3+ phosphors are studied. Two prominent and well-resolved TL glows with peaks at 202 ◦ C and 345 ◦ C besides a shoulder with peak at ∼240 ◦ C are observed. The trapping parameters-activation energy (E), order of kinetics (b) and frequency factor (s) are calculated using glow curve shape method and the results obtained are discussed. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Long-lasting phosphors will gradually emit light at a certain wavelength with a long afterglow when they absorb energy from the ultraviolet or visible lights. This property makes long persis- tent phosphors, potential material to be applied in luminescent fields. In recent years, the demand for developing efficient lumi- nescent materials such as rare earth activated powders attracted researchers because of their possible photonic applications, good luminescent characteristics, stability in high vacuum and absence of corrosive gas emission under electron bombardment when com- pared to currently used sulfide based phosphors. Among the rare earth ions, red-emitting trivalent europium (Eu 3+ ) is recognized as an efficient red luminescent phosphors due to its 5 D 0 → 7 F j(j=0,1,2,3,4) transitions which are used in color television displays and mercury free lamps. In addition, the higher 5 D 1,2,3 levels are rarely observed depending on the host lattice and the doping concentration. Efforts to enhance the luminescence nature of Eu 3+ in host materials with low phonon energies are made. An appropriate selection of the host lattice and the suitable Eu 3+ dopant concentration produces red emission [1–3]. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +91 80 22961486. Tel.: +91 9448116281. E-mail address: bnlnarasappa@rediffmail.com (B.N. Lakshminarasappa). Currently, nano materials and nano technology have attracted several researchers from different fields, especially from the lumi- nescence field. Nano phosphors differ from existing bulk phosphors in terms of its electrical, optical, and structural properties. The changes in the electrical and optical characteristics of very small particles are caused by the quantum size effect, which is generated by an increase in the band gap due to a decrease in the quantum allowed state that exists in small particles, and the high surface-to- volume ratio, which improves the surface and interface effects. Rare earth and non rare earth doped inorganic phosphors are widely used in a variety of applications such as lamp industries, radiation dosimetry, color display, etc. [4,5]. Depositions of energy in a material by ionizing radiation results in generation of charge carriers (electrons or holes) and sub- sequently they are trapped at vacancies and interstitials. These trapped charge carriers are localized in the lattice [6]. Thermo- luminescence (TL) is a powerful technique to study these charge carriers. Recent studies indicated that luminescent nano materials find potential application in dosimetry caused by ionizing radia- tions [7]. Over the past few years, the synthesis of inorganic nanoscale materials with specific morphologies attracted the phosphor devel- opers. Silicate phosphors are synthesized by a variety of routes such as Solid-state reactions, Sol–Gel, Hydrothermal, Precipitation, Microwave techniques, etc. In the present studies, Mg 2 SiO 4 :Eu 3+ nano powders are synthesized by low temperature combustion synthesis route [LCS]. This process provides molecular level of 0925-8388/$ – see front matter © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2011.03.148