Difference in the Nature of Eu ³⁺ Environment in Eu ³⁺ ‐Doped BaTiO ₃ and BaSnO ₃

Abstract

BaTiO 3 and BaSnO 3 samples doped with Eu 3+ ions were prepared using glycine‐nitrate gel combustion method. Relative intensities and line shapes of magnetic dipole allowed 5 D 0 → 7 F 1 and electric dipole allowed 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 transitions of Eu 3+ from the hosts, BaTiO 3 and BaSnO 3 , are significantly different. Based on detailed structural investigations, it is confirmed that synthesized BaTiO 3 sample is tetragonal with no center of symmetry around Ba 2+ ions. Unlike this BaSnO 3 is cubic with centrosymmetric Ba 2+ site. From X‐ray diffraction and experimentally obtained Judd–Ofelt parameters (Ω 2 and Ω 4 values), it is confirmed that in BaTiO 3 there is a decrease in the average Ba – O and Ba – Ba distances compared with that in BaSnO 3 . This leads to higher Eu – O bond polarizability and adds to the distortion in its environment around Eu 3+ in BaTiO 3 : Eu compared with BaSnO 3 : Eu . This is responsible for the observed difference in the luminescence properties.