Impact of different chemical techniques on the structural and photoluminescence properties of <scp> Zn ₄ B ₆ O ₁₃ </scp> : Sm ³⁺ phosphor

Abstract Zn 4 B 6 O 13 : Sm 3+ (1%) phosphors were synthesized using various methods, such as the sol–gel, combustion and solid‐state reaction techniques. The study mainly focuses on a comparative study in achieving the best synthesis technique among them through structural and photoluminescence measurements. In this study, we aim to enhance the PL properties for Zn 4 B 6 O 13 : Sm 3+ phosphor materials via the appropriate synthesis route, which could be used as a benchmark for future researchers in solid‐state lighting (SSL) systems. The XRD results showed that materials were formed in a cubic crystal structure in all synthesis routes, while the largest crystallite particle size was obtained through the solid‐state method. FE‐SEM findings revealed the dominance of hexagonal morphologies together with some irregularly shaped particles of the prepared samples. The UV–VIS measurements confirmed an increase in the bandgap of the Zn 4 B 6 O 13 : xSm 3+ ( x = 0, 1 mol%) phosphor synthesized through the solid‐state reaction method. The Zn 4 B 6 O 13 : xSm 3+ material prepared via the combustion method exhibited intense photoluminescence properties upon two different 228 and 352 nm excitation wavelengths. From the results, high‐intensity orange‐red colour emission at 618 nm, attributed to the 4 G 5/2 → 6 H 9/2 transition, with the shortest lifetime decay of about 244 ms, was observed using the combustion method. Optical and PL results of the Zn 4 B 6 O 13 : xSm 3+ ( x = 0, 1 mol%) phosphor indicated that the synthesized phosphors could be promising candidates for various LED applications.