Synthesis and novel emission properties of Bi3+ -doped Ca2 BO3 Cl phosphor for plant cultivation.

In the present work, a series of Bi3+ -activated Ca2 BO3 Cl phosphors was synthesized using the conventional high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The crystal structure of the prepared sample was determined to be monoclinic with space group P21/c. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis demonstrated the surface morphology with aggregated particles and sizes in the nano range. The presence of vibrational features and their luminescence characteristics were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) techniques, respectively. At the 486 nm excitation wavelength, the PL spectrum revealed a sharp emission centred at 732 nm that was attributed to the 3 P1 →1 S0 transition of Bi3+ . The emission spectra exhibited the highest emission intensity at 0.5 mol% Bi3+ ion concentration, beyond this the emission intensity decreased due to the concentration quenching phenomenon attributed to multipolar interaction. The Commission Internationale de l'éclairage coordinates located at (0.7347, 0.2653) confirmed emission in the deep-red region with a colour purity of 99.98%. The obtained outcomes suggested that the reported material may be a promising candidate as a red-emitting phosphor for w-LEDs and plant growth applications.