A novel far-red emitting phosphor activated Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+: Crystal structure, optical properties and application in plant growth lighting

We report a novel far-red emitting phosphor activated Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+ for plant growth lighting. [Display omitted] •A new, far-red emitting phosphor Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+ has been developed.•The luminescent properties of Mn4+-doped samples were investigated.•The thermal stability study indicated a superior thermal stability of the phosphor.•Results indicate that the phosphor would be promising candidates of far-red-emitting materials for plant growth LEDs. A new, far-red emitting phosphor Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+ had been developed for plant growth lighting. The optical and structural property of the phosphor was investigated. Upon 365 nm near-UV excitation, the luminescence of Mn4+ exhibited a broad far-red emission band peaking at about 700 nm. The concentration quenching of Mn4+ luminescence in Ba2LuTaO6 was studied and the optimal Mn4+ doping concentration was experimentally approximately 0.6 %. The mechanism of the thermal stability based on the temperature-dependent PL spectra of Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+ were demonstrated and this phosphor shows superior thermal behavior. Finally, the Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+ phosphor and a 400-nm LED chip were employed to produce the LED devices. The results indicate that the Ba2LuTaO6:Mn4+ phosphors showed good potential in plant cultivation LEDs.