Sheaf-like Manganese-Doped Zinc Silicate with Enhanced Photoluminescence Performance

Sheaf-like manganese-doped zinc silicate (Mn-doped Zn2SiO4) was successfully synthesized without surfactant by hydrothermal route using manganese acetate, zinc nitrate, and sodium silicate as precursors. The structure, morphology, and optical properties were well investigated by various analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), a transmission electron microscope (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL). The results showed the enhancement of crystallinity and an increase in the length of the as-prepared sample, which was achieved by prolonging the hydrothermal time. Based on the analysis of the XRD pattern, it can be stated that the sheaf-like Mn-doped Zn2SiO4 possesses a large lattice distortion compared to pure Zn2SiO4. Moreover, it was observed that hydrothermal times played a crucial role in the PL property. The PL peak intensity of samples located at 522 nm generally increased with the increase in reaction time in the range of 12–48 h. However, when the treating time reached 72 h, the property of PL decreased. The results of the PL spectra showed that Mn-doped Zn2SiO4 obtained by a hydrothermal time of 48 h displayed an efficient luminescent performance. The key to the high PL property mainly lies in the sheaf-like structure and large lattice distortion.