Probing the luminescence behavior of Dy3+/Eu3+ co-doped gadolinium molybdate phosphors under the impact of swift heavy ions

Abstract

This study delves into the impact of lithium (Li3+) and silver (Ag7+) ion irradiation on the structure and luminescence of Dy3+ doped and Dy3+/Eu3+ co-doped Gd<inf>2</inf>MoO<inf>6</inf> phosphors, synthesized via the hydrothermal method. To explore the influence of ions with varied mass and energy, 30 MeV Li3+ and 100 MeV Ag7+ ions were employed at different fluences. We elucidate the induced effects based on defect formation and the role of these ions’ linear energy transfer (LET) within the irradiated material. SRIM software estimates the depth profile of the ions. Irradiation of the Gd<inf>2</inf>MoO<inf>6</inf> phosphors with Li3+ and Ag7+ ions resulted in the formation of disordered lattices or tracks, modifying their structural, optical, and luminescence properties, which were analyzed by various techniques, including X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, diffuse reflectance, and photoluminescence. Thermoluminescence (TL) tests and calculations of trapping parameters were conducted to evaluate the dosimetric potential. The findings reveal a more pronounced effect of silver ions compared to lithium ions on the structural and luminescence behavior of doped and codoped Gd<inf>2</inf>MoO<inf>6</inf> phosphors due to their higher atomic weight. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2024.