This paper describes the influence
of sintering conditions and
Eu3+/Tb3+ content on the structure and luminescent
properties of K5Eu1–
x
Tb
x
(MoO4)4 (KETMO). KETMO samples were synthesized under two different heating
and cooling conditions. A K5Tb(MoO4)4 (KTMO) colorless transparent single crystal was grown by the Czochralski
technique. A continuous range of solid solutions with a trigonal palmierite-type
structure (α-phase, space group R3̅m) were presented only for the high-temperature (HT or α-)
KETMO (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) prepared at 1123
K followed by quenching to liquid nitrogen temperature. The reversibility
of the β ↔ α phase transition for KTMO was revealed
by a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study. The low-temperature
(LT)LT-K5Eu0.6Tb0.4(MoO4)4 structure was refined in the C2/m space
group. Additional extra reflections besides the reflections of the
basic palmierite-type R-subcell were present in synchrotron X-ray
diffraction (XRD) patterns of LT-KTMO. LT-KTMO was refined as an incommensurately
modulated structure with (3 + 1)D superspace group C2/m(0β0)00 and the modulation vector q = 0.684b*. The luminescent properties of KETMO prepared at different
conditions were studied and related to their structures. The luminescence
spectra of KTMO samples were represented by a group of narrow lines
ascribed to 5D4 → 7F
J
(J = 3–6) Tb3+ transitions with the most intense emission line at 547 nm. The KTMO
single crystal demonstrated the highest luminescence intensity, which
was ∼20 times higher than that of LT-KTMO. The quantum yield
λex = 481 nm for the KTMO single crystal was measured
as 50%. The intensity of the 5D4 → 7F5 Tb3+ transition increased with the
increase of x from 0.2 to 1 for LT and HT-KETMO.
Emission spectra of KETMO samples with x = 0.2–0.9
at λex = 377 nm exhibited an intense red emission
at ∼615 nm due to the 5D0 → 7F2 Eu3+ transition, thus indicating
an efficient energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+.