Consequence of Optimal Bonding on Disordered Structure and Improved Luminescence Properties in T-Phase...

T-phase (Ba,Ca)₂SiO₄:Eu²⁺, showing excellent luminescent thermal stability, has a positionally disordered structure with the splitting of five atom sites, but until now the reason has remained unclear. Herein, we investigate the coordination environments of each cation site in detail to understand the origins of the atom site splitting. We find that the three cation sites in the split-atom-site model are optimally bonded with ligand O atoms compared to the unsplit-atom-site model. This atom site splitting results in larger room and smaller room for each splitting cation site, which just accommodates larger Ba²⁺ ions and smaller Ca²⁺ ions, respectively, leading to more rigid structure. Based on the X-ray diffraction data refinement, the boundary of the T-phase for (Ba_{1- x}Ca _x)₂SiO₄ is redetermined. The Eu²⁺-doped T-phase (Ba,Ca)₂SiO₄ phosphors show excellent luminescent thermal stability, which can be attributed to optimal bonding and more rigid structure with atom site splitting. These results indicate that T-phase (Ba,Ca)₂SiO₄:Eu²⁺ phosphors have promise for practical applications.