Unveiling the luminescence of α-Zn2SiO4 phosphor: Profound influence of sintering temperatures

The zinc silicate (α-Zn2SiO4) phosphor was synthesized via a conventional sol-gel method, employing different sintering temperatures within the range of 800 to 1300 °C. To investigate the physicochemical properties of the α-Zn2SiO4 materials, a comprehensive range of analytical and spectroscopic techniques were utilized. In thermoluminescence (TL) measurements, the α-Zn2SiO4 sample sintered at 1200 °C exhibited a significantly higher intensity of glow peaks at around 115 °C and 304 °C. These enhanced glow peaks can be attributed to the presence of deep traps within the synthesized materials, which are activated upon X-ray irradiation. Additionally, dose-response measurements demonstrated a linear relationship between the TL glow peak intensity and the increment of X-ray dose. Furthermore, the photoluminescence (PL) analysis revealed that the synthesized α-Zn2SiO4 material emitted light at two distinct wavelengths at 463 nm and 542 nm which attributed to the possible electron-hole recombination of luminescent centres within the material. Combining the TL and PL results, the synthesized α-Zn2SiO4 material shows promise as a suitable candidate for dosimetry and lighting applications. •Detailed structural analysis was done by the Rietveld refinement technique.•Energy gap of α-Zn2SiO4 is 5.47 eV, and at 1200 °C it is around 5.24eV.•PL analysis confirmed the blue and green emission peaks at 463 nm and 542 nm.•Blue emission was demonstrated using the CIE graph for 1200 °C(α-Zn2SiO4).•Thermoluminescence measurements confirmed the dosimetry application of α-Zn2SiO4.