The photoluminescence behavior of
luminescent materials with rare
earth (RE) ions as a luminescence center not only depends on the element
type and chemical valence of RE ions but also on their concentration
and occupation in the matrix, sometimes including the interaction
of the matrix and RE ions or between different RE ions. Herein, special
SrIn2(P2O7)2 phosphate,
assembled by monolayer [SrO10]∞ and bilayer
[In2P4O14]∞ consisting
of InO6 units and P2O7 groups, was
selected as the host material, and different cation positions (Sr
and In) were substituted by Eu3+. The structure refinement
in combination with Judd–Ofelt theory has shed light on the
differences of the Eu3+ coordination environment in SrIn2(P2O7)2. The structural rigidity
of the In3+ site is better than that of the Sr2+ site, making SrIn1.92(P2O7)2: Eu0.08 superior in thermal stability. The average
distance between adjacent Sr2+ ions is larger than that
between adjacent In3+ ions, causing the higher quantum
efficiency of Sr0.9In2(P2O7)2: Eu0.1. The present work demonstrates that
the site occupation of Eu3+ has an important effect on
its luminous performance. Importantly, the newly developed Eu3+-doped SrIn2(P2O7)2 phosphors, exhibiting outstanding luminous efficiency, favorable
thermal stability, and excellent color purity, are promising red components
of phosphor-based light-emitting diodes.