Tb3+→Eu3+ energy transfer processes in eulytite A3Tb(PO4)3 (A=Sr, Ba) and silico-carnotite Ca3Tb2Z3O12 (Z=Si, Ge) materials doped with Eu3+

In this study the optical spectroscopy, the excited state dynamics and in particular the Tb3+-> Eu3+ energy transfer, have been investigated in detail in eulytite double phosphate and silico-carnotite silicate or germanate hosts based on the Tb3+ ion and doped with Eu3+. It has been found that the energy transfer rates and efficiencies depend significantly on the nature of the divalent elements present in the two different structural families, opening the way to the control of the energy transfer rate and efficiency, on the basis of chemical and structural properties.