Tunable emission and energy transfer of B2O3–Bi2O3–AlF3 glass system doped with Eu3+/Dy3

The structure and luminescent properties of the B2O3–Bi2O–AlF3 glass system doped with Eu3+/Dy3+ ions in different molar ratios were studied. A series of glasses were synthesized by the conventional melt quenching technique. Glass transition and crystallization temperatures were examined by Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) measurements. The amorphous character of the prepared samples was confirmed by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) method. Raman and FTIR spectra were collected and deconvoluted to investigate the glass micro-structure. Luminescence spectra revealed that the added rare-earth ions can be excited by a single wavelength. The emitted color can be tuned by changing the ratios of the Eu3+/Dy3+ ions and the excitation wavelength. Furthermore, the influence of the addition of AlF3 on the luminescence and decay times was investigated. In the glasses with 10 mol% AlF3 an enhancement of the emission and excitation spectra was detected. The energy transfer analysis confirms the energy transfer between Eu3+ and Dy3+ ions in the glass matrix. Additionally, the results of this study indicate that the B2O3–Bi2O–AlF3 glasses doped with Eu3+ and Dy3+ can be used as a color tunable phosphor. •The B2O3–Bi2O3 glass doped with AlF3 and Eu3+/Dy3+ ions were synthesized using a conventional melt quenching technique.•The structure and luminescent properties of samples were characterized.•In the glasses with 10 mol % of AlF3 addition an enhancement of the emission and excitation spectra was detected.•Glasses doped with aluminum fluoride remained transparent.•The obtained results indicate that the B2O3–Bi2O3–AlF3 glasses doped with Eu3+/Dy3+ can be used as color-tunable phosphors.