Study on luminescence and energy transfer of Tm3+–Dy3+–Eu3+ tri-doped BBaLiAlP glass to realize white light emission†

BBaLiAlPDy_0.5Eu_1.0Tm_x luminescent glasses were produced using a fusion quenching technique. XRD confirmed that the glasses possessed an amorphous nature. FT-IR spectroscopy indicated that the glass had a network structure dominated by [BO₃] and [BO₄] vibrations. The emission spectrum obtained under 358 nm excitation revealed that the BBaLiAlPDy_0.5Eu_1.0Tm_1.0 glass had the highest luminescence intensity. Based on the changes in emission peak intensity and fluorescence lifetime of BBaLiAlPDy_0.5Eu_1.0Tm_x glasses, the energy transfer processes from Tm³⁺ → Dy³⁺, as well as Tm³⁺ → Eu³⁺, have been confirmed. The study found that the effective energy transfer at 615 nm (Eu³⁺) is more significant than that at 575 nm (Dy³⁺). Using Dexter's theory and the I-H model, it is concluded that the energy transfer interaction between ions exhibits dipole–dipole characteristics. By varying the excitation wavelength, the luminescent color of the BBaLiAlPDy_0.5Eu_1.0Tm_1.0 glass shifted gradually from blue to white light and subsequently to red light regions, meeting the potential development needs in various color display fields. Especially under 387 nm excitation, the glass had a CCT of 5558 K, CIE coordinates of (0.3312, 0.3207), and a color purity of 4.44%, achieving white light emission.