ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Er³⁺ Nanophosphors for advanced illuminating and latent fingerprinting applications: a crystal structure and photoluminescent analysis of green light emitting Ca_0.5Bi₃P₂O₁₀

Diksha Solanki, Poonam Devi, Neeraj Sehrawat, Neelam Kumari, and Rajesh Kumar Malik

Department of Chemistry, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, India

E-mail: lion.singh0108@gmail.com

Received: 18 November 2025  Accepted: 1 April 2026

Abstract:

Abstract

The urea-assisted solution combustion method has created Ca_0.5Bi₃P₂O₁₀ nanophosphor activated by Er³⁺ ions. X-ray Diffraction patterns showed a triclinic phase with the P-1 space group after the developed Er³⁺-doped Ca_0.5Bi₃P₂O₁₀ phosphor was refined using the Rietveld method. The size is characterized using electron microscopy methods, specifically transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, and surface-related characteristics of the produced nanopowder. An energy-dispersive spectroscopy device verifies the homogeneous distribution of different components in the nanocrystalline sample. The estimated value of the band gap (E_g) for Ca_0.5Bi_2.85Er_0.15P₂O₁₀ and Ca_0.5Bi₃P₂O₁₀ is 3.82 eV and 3.87 eV, respectively. After excitation at 377 nm, the Er³⁺: Ca_0.5Bi₃P₂O₁₀, ⁴H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2 transition in the nanophosphor produces bright green emission. Dipole-dipole interlinkages with Dexter’s idea are responsible for the concentration quenching that occurs after 5 mol % composition of trivalent Erbium ions. The non-radiative rates (92.54 s^− 1), quantum efficiency (55.28%), radiative lifetime (0.4831 ms), and colorimetric factors, such as Commission Internationale de I’Eclairage (CIE) x (= 0.2334), y (= 0.6062), and correlated color temperature values, provide Ca_0.5Bi_2.85Er_0.15P₂O₁₀ as an effective green radiating nanomaterial for Red-Green-Blue nanophosphors used in solid-state and latent fingerprinting applications (LFP).

Graphical abstract

Keywords: Nanophosphor; Triclinic; Solid-state lighting; PL; LFP

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-026-04867-6

Chemical Papers 80 (7) 7957–7971 (2026)