One-pot synthesis, luminescence properties and interfacial energy transfer of CaCO3:Eu3+@SiO2:Tb3+ phosphor

The core-shell structure plays a significant role in the field of interfacial energy transfer. In this study, we designed and synthesized a series of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺ co-doped CaCO₃@SiO₂ core-shell spheres using one-pot method. The phase composition, morphology of the samples, and core-shell structure were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The phosphors synthesized in one pot were further optimized for luminescence enhancement to investigate the energy migration of Eu³⁺ and Tb³⁺, and the obtained results proved the effective interfacial energy transfer (IET) performance. Compared with CaCO₃:3%Eu³⁺,5%Tb³⁺@SiO₂ and CaCO₃@SiO₂:3%Eu³⁺,5%Tb³⁺, CaCO₃:3%Eu³⁺@SiO₂:5%Tb³⁺ sample exhibits the stronger luminous intensity and longer fluorescence lifetime. This work presents a feasible method for preparing core-shell luminescent materials by one pot method and offers a new case for fluorescence enhancement through IET in core-shell luminescent materials doped with rare earth elements.