Luminescence study and dosimetry approach of Ce on an α ‐Sr 2 P 2 O 7 phosphor synthesized by a high‐temperature combustion method

We report synthesis of a cerium‐activated strontium pyrophosphate (Sr 2 P 2 O 7 ) phosphor using a high‐temperature combustion method. Samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR), photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescence (TL). The XRD pattern reveals that Sr 2 P 2 O 7 has an α ‐phase with crystallization in the orthorhombic space group of Pnam. The IR spectrum of α ‐Sr 2 P 2 O 7 displays characteristic bands at 746 and 1190 cm ‐1 corresponding to the absorption of (P 2 O 7 ) ‐4 . PL emission spectra exhibit a broad emission band around 376 nm in the near‐UV region due to the allowed 5d–4f transition of cerium and suggest its applications in a UV light‐emitting diode (LED) source. PL also reveals that the emission originates from 5d–4f transition of Ce 3+ and intensity increases with doping concentration. TL measurements made after X‐ray irradiation, manifest a single intense glow peak at around 192°C, which suggests that this is an outstanding candidate for dosimetry applications. The kinetic parameters, activation energy and frequency factor of the glow curve were calculated using different analysis methods. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.