Luminescence properties and energy transfer mechanism of Ce3+/Sm3+ co-doped Na2O-Y2O3-SiO2 glass for white light emission

A series of Ce3+/Sm3+ doped glasses were prepared in this study and their luminescence properties were analyzed. A combination of blue and orange-red emission band was observed from these glasses, and tunable white light emission could be observed by adjusting concentration ratio of Ce3+ to Sm3+ under UV light excitation. Energy transfer (ET) from Ce3+ to Sm3+ is discovered by directly observing significant overlap of the excitation spectrum of Sm3+ and the emission spectrum of Ce3+ ions. The energy transfer from Ce3+ to Sm3+ via a dipole–dipole mechanism was confirmed by the luminescence spectra, the decay lifetime and the calculation of energy transfer efficiency of the glasses. Based on the results in this study, the Ce3+/Sm3+ doped glasses could be used as a potential matrix material for ultraviolet light emitting diode (LED) chip based white LEDs. •Ce3+/Sm3+ doped white light emitting glasses were successfully prepared.•The glass samples showed a tunable-color emission.•Energy transfer from Ce3+ to Sm3+ via a dipole–dipole mechanism.