Dataset of enhanced UV-C emitting properties of Pr(3+)-activated rare earth phosphates driven by structural lattice distortion through a substitutional doping strategy

Ongoing global pandemic crisis of coronavirus (COVID-19) and its fast- and wide-spreading into entire worlds, critically intimidating our current and future lives, put more emphasis on the development of efficient UV-C emitting phosphors for the germicidal and medical applications due to the intense UV-C emission, which can effectively deactivate such viruses. In this regard, UV-C emitting Pr(3+)-activated three presentative rare earth phosphate such as YPO(4), LaPO(4), and La (x mol.%, x =0-0.21)-doped YPO(4) have been systematically investigated in terms of crystallographic evolution and their impact on the UV-C emitting properties. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images along with X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns attested the substitutional doping of La into YPO(4) host matrices. Optical properties mainly investigated using the photoluminescence (PL) emission spectroscopy in the spectral range from 220-300 nm corresponding to UV-C energy region clearly demonstrated that the substitutional doping of La into YPO(4):Pr(3+) leads to the increase in transition probability of UV-C emission, resulted from the electronic transition of activator corresponding to [Xe]4f(1)5d(1)→[Xe]4f(2). The data presented here are related to the research article entitled “Structural distortion induced enhancement in UV-C emitting properties of Pr(3+)-activated La-substituted yttrium phosphates (Y(1-)(x)La(x)PO(4):Pr(3+))”.