Enhanced thermal stability of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ phosphors by superficial carbon modification

To satisfy increasing stringent application requirements for high power wLEDs, we propose a superficial carbon modification method to enhance thermal stability of red-emitting CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ phosphor via carbon coating by mechanical mixing and thermal post-treatment at high temperature under N₂-H₂ atmosphere. The modifications on the crystal surface include (a) elimination of amorphous phase, (b) introduction of carbon and (c) inhibition of the oxidation of Eu²⁺. During the whole processing, the route of carbon and its effects on the crystal structure and luminescence properties are investigated by XPS, TEM, SEM, Raman spectra and TG-DSC analysis. After superficial carbon modification, the thermal quenching characteristic is improved by 5.7%, and the relative brightness decays more slowly during the aging test, which means that the superficial carbon modified samples still maintain good luminescence performance at high temperature and have superior performance for long-term applications. All above indicate that the superficial carbon modification method is a promising application to enhance the thermal stability for analogous Eu²⁺-activated nitride phosphors.     

Achieving thermally stable and anti-hydrolytic Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ phosphor via a nanoscale carbon deposition strategy

Chemical stability of phosphors is critical to the efficiency and lifetime of the white light-emitting diodes. Therefore, many strategies have been adopted to improve the stability of phosphors. However, it is still lack of report on the improvement of thermal stability and hydrolysis resistance of phosphors by a single layer coating. Due to the high transmittance and high chemical inertness of graphene, it was coated on the surface of Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphor by chemical vapor deposition, aiming to improve its thermal stability and hydrolysis resistance. The chemical composition and microstructure of the coating were characterized and analyzed. A nanoscale carbon layer was attached on the surface of Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphor particles in an amorphous state. In coated Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphor, the oxidation degree of Eu²⁺ to Eu³⁺ was significantly suppressed. At the same time, the surface of Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ particle turned from hydrophilic to hydrophobic after carbon coating, and consequently the hydrolysis resistance of Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphor was greatly improved. After tests at 85 °C and 85% humidity for 200 h, the carbon coated Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphor still maintained about 95% of its initial luminous intensity as compared with 35% of the uncoated. By observing the in-situ microstructure evolution of coated phosphor in air-water vapor environment, remained presence of the carbon layer even at 500 °C explained the excellent chemical stability of carbon coated Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphor in complex environment. These results indicate that a nanoscale carbon layer can be used to provide superior thermal stability and hydrolysis resistance of (oxy) nitrides phosphors.     

Synthesis of nitride phosphor using entire oxides raw materials and their photoluminescence properties

Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ nitride phosphors application for light emitting diodes were synthesized for the first time using less‐expensive and air‐stable entire oxides raw materials, SrCO₃, SiO₂, and Eu₂O₃, through a carbothermal reduction and nitridation (CTRN) route. The reaction dynamic processes of the CTRN route and the phase components, photoluminescent properties, quantum efficiency as well as thermal stability for the resultant Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ phosphors were investigated in detail. High‐crystalline pure Sr₂Si₅N₈:Eu²⁺ red‐emitting phosphor with acceptant luminescent performances could be obtained through finely controlling addition amount of carbon reductant agent and carefully removing the residual carbon without oxidation damage. An economic route is outlined in this work for the synthesis of nitride phosphors using cost‐effective entire oxides raw materials, thereby driving the development and practical application of nitrides phosphors.     

Insight into the evolution mechanism of carbon film and Eu valence in carbon coated BaMgAl10O17: Eu2+ phosphor annealed in air

Performing carbon coating on the surface of phosphors has been proven to be an effective strategy to enhance the oxidation resistance, which is an important factor to achieve stable luminescent devices. Therefore, a good understanding of the protection mechanism favors a continuous improvement of oxidation resistance of phosphors. In present paper, the evolution of the carbon layer, Eu valence (Eu²⁺/Eu³⁺), and luminescent properties for the C coated BaMgAl₁₀O₁₇: Eu²⁺ phosphor when annealed at high temperature is investigated carefully. Decrease of carbon layer promotes the appearance color transition from black to white as the annealing temperature rises to 1000?°C in air. As expected, the decrease of carbon layer will enhance the luminescence intensity, but risk the possible oxidation of Eu²⁺ to Eu³⁺, which inhibits the blue emission ascribed to Eu²⁺. The results indicate that luminescence intensity of phosphor is dependent on the synergistic effect of carbon thickness and Eu²⁺/Eu³⁺ ratio. Additionally, a reduction reaction of Eu³⁺ to Eu²⁺ is observed in C coated BaMgAl₁₀O₁₇: Eu²⁺ phosphor when annealed at high temperature, which also contributes to the higher luminescence intensity.     

Luminescence and structure of Eu2+-doped Ba2CaMg2Si6O17

Eu²⁺-activated Ba₂CaMg₂Si₆O₁₇ phosphors were synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction. The phase formation was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction measurement. The photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra were investigated. The phosphor presents blue-emitting luminescence. The crystallographic sites of Eu²⁺ ions in Ba₂CaMg₂Si₆O₁₇ host were discussed on the base of luminescence properties and the crystal structure. The lightly Eu²⁺-doped sample shows one luminescence center for the Eu²⁺ ions on Ba²⁺ sites, while there are two luminescence centers for the Eu²⁺ ions on both the Ba and Ca sites in heavily Eu²⁺-doped sample. The dependence of luminescence intensity on temperatures and the activation energy (ΔE) for the thermal quenching were reported. The phosphor shows an excellent thermal stability on temperature quenching because of the special layered structure of Ba²⁺ ions in the interlayer between SiO₄ layers.     

Fluorescence properties with red-shift of Eu2+ emission in novel phosphor-silicate apatite Sr3LaNa(PO4)2SiO4 phosphors

A series of Eu²⁺-activated novel phosphor-silicate apatite Sr₃LaNa(PO₄)₂SiO₄ phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rietveld refinement, diffuse reflectance spectra, luminescent spectra, decay curves and thermal quenching properties were applied to characterize the obtained phosphors. The XRD result revealed that all the samples possessed only a single phase with hexagonal structure and the doping of Eu²⁺ ions were successfully incorporated into the crystal lattice. The reflectance spectra showed an obvious red-shift of the wavelength from 400 to 700 nm with increasing Eu²⁺ ion concentration. The three different crystallographic sites of Eu²⁺ ions had been confirmed by their lifetimes. All the samples exhibited broad absorption bands from 200 to 450 nm, revealing the phosphor-silicate phosphor interesting for application in the near-UV used phosphor-converted LED chips. These results suggested that the Eu²⁺-activated phosphor-silicate Sr₃LaNa(PO₄)₂SiO₄ phosphors have the potential for near-UV pumped white-light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs).     

A novel scheelite-type LiCaGd(WO4)3:Eu3+ red phosphors with prominent thermal stability and high quantum efficiency

A series of LiCaGd(WO4)3 : xEu³⁺ (0 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) red phosphors with tetragonal scheelite structure were synthesized via the conventional solid-state reaction. Their crystal structure, photoluminescence excitation (PLE), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra, thermal stability and quantum efficiency were investigated. The phosphors exhibit a typical red light upon 395 nm near ultraviolet excitation, and the strongest emission peak at 617 nm is dominated by the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ ions. The PL intensity of the phosphors gradually increases with the increase of Eu³⁺ doping concentration, and the concentration quenching phenomenon is hardly observed. The quantum efficiency and the color purity of the phosphor reach maximum values of about 94.2 and 96.6% at x = 1.0, respectively. More importantly, LiCaGd(WO₄)₃:xEu³⁺ phosphors have prominent thermal stability. The temperature-dependent PL intensity of the phosphors at 423 K is only reduced to 89.1% of the PL intensity at 303 K, which is superior to that of commercial red phosphors Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺. Finally, LiCaGd(WO₄)₃:Eu³⁺ phosphor is packaged with near ultraviolet InGaN chips to fabricate white light emitting diodes, which has a low color temperature (CCT = 4622 K) and a high color rendering index (CRI= 89.6).     

Ultra-small Stokes shift induced thermal robust efficient blue-emitting alkaline phosphate phosphors for LWUV WLEDs

High power phosphor converted light emitting diodes (pc-LED) are thought to be the next generation technology for lighting and high-tech electronics applications. To achieve optimal luminous efficiency, maximal color gamut and stable color reproducibility, the discovery of high efficient phosphor materials with suitable excitation matching, narrow band emission and robust thermal stability is essential. Herein, we design and construct a new family of alkaline phosphate phosphors ANa₃Mg₇(PO₄)₆:Eu²⁺ (ANMP:Eu²⁺, A = K, Rb and Cs) with rigid diamond-like chain structure. The results indicates that ANMP:Eu²⁺(A = K, Rb and Cs) phosphors exhibit ultra-small Stokes shift and efficient blue emission (λ_max = 444–465 nm) with high internal quantum efficiency (IQE = 83.2%, 90.6% and 93.4% for A = K, Rb and Cs), narrow full width at half maximum (FWHM∼50 nm) and low thermal quenching (87.5%, 96.5% and 84.2%@140 °C for A = K, Rb and Cs), which demonstrate to have higher colorful purity, wider color gamut and better wavelength applicability for using in long-wavelength near ultraviolet (LWUV) LEDs, compared with the traditional commercially available blue phosphor BaMgAl₁₀O₁₇:Eu²⁺ (BAM:Eu²⁺). The Eu²⁺ site preferences and thermal quenching mechanism are studied in detail. Moreover, the in situ temperature dependent Raman spectra and density function theory (DFT) are employed to get better comprehensions of the relationship between crystal-electronic structures and luminescent properties from experiment and calculation, which will provide a good guidance for develop new phosphors with high QE and excellent thermal stability. Finally, utilizing the title phosphors, white LED lamps are fabricated with high color rendering index and an appropriate correlated color temperature. Therefore, all the results demonstrate that the blue-emitting phosphor ANMP:Eu²⁺ (A = Cs, K, Rb) has great potential for applications in high power LWUV pumped pc-LEDs.     

Synthesis,structure and luminescence of a high-purity and thermal-stable Sr9LiMg(PO4)7: Eu3+ red phosphor

Eu³⁺-activated Sr₉LiMg(PO₄)₇ phosphors, which presented bright red emissions mainly from the ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ ions upon the near-ultraviolet excitation, were successfully synthesized in ambient atmosphere. The crystal structure, phase constitution, photoluminescent behaviors, decay time, internal quantum efficiency and thermal stability of the resultant phosphors were investigated in detail. Eu³⁺ ions are found to tend to occupy multiple Sr²⁺ sites, which are 7, 8 and 10-coordinated. The optimal doping concentration is 7 mol% and the electrical multipolar interaction contributed to the non-radiative energy transfer between Eu³⁺ ions in Sr₉LiMg(PO₄)₇ host lattices. Temperature-dependent PL spectra indicated Sr₉LiMg(PO₄)₇: Eu³⁺ possess excellent emission and color stability at elevated temperature. Fabricated single-chromatic LED prototype emit bright red light under 20 mA bias current, which demonstrates that Sr₉LiMg(PO₄)₇: Eu³⁺ phosphor is of great potential as converted phosphor in NUV LED application.     

Defect engineering towards anti-temperature quenching luminescence for application in light emitting diodes

Thermal quenching (TQ) that weakens luminescent intensity is crucial for the application value of a phosphor. Here, we report a series of color-tunable phosphors Na₂MgAl₁₀O₁₇:xEu²⁺ (NMA:xEu²⁺) from green to cyan. For optimized Eu²⁺ concentration of x = 0.15, its internal and external quantum efficiency can reach up to 86% and 43%, respectively. In addition, it is unexpected that NMA:0.15Eu²⁺ exhibits anti-temperature quenching (TQ) luminescence even up to 300 °C, which is due to the ability of the defect energy levels to counteract the usual loss of emission by TQ through EPR and TL spectral analysis. Then, a prototype w-LED lamp by using NMA:0.15Eu²⁺ cyan phosphor, CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ red phosphor, and 380 nm LED chip is fabricated. This work not only reports a new phosphor with high efficiency and good thermal stability of luminescence, but also brings forward a defect engineering approach for enhancing the thermal quenching resistance of a phosphor.     

Novel AMoO4:Eu3+ (A = Ca and Ba) optical thermometer: Investigation of effect of local ionic coordination environment on optical performance and temperature measurement sensitivity

A range of Eu³⁺-doped AMoO₄ (A = Ca and Ba) phosphors were successfully synthetized, and their crystal structures, optical performance, and temperature measurement sensitivities were investigated in detail. Peak doping concentration of CaMoO₄:Eu³⁺ phosphor was 0.18, while peak doping concentration of BaMoO₄:Eu³⁺ phosphor may be greater than 0.18. Then, temperature-dependent photoluminescence emission spectra of representative CaMoO₄:0.09Eu³⁺ and BaMoO₄:0.03Eu³⁺ phosphors were recorded. CaMoO₄:0.09Eu³⁺ phosphor exhibited abnormal thermal quenching, which was attributed to defects caused by heterovalent substitution of ions and increase in the temperature, and good thermal stability. Finally, the possibility of using both phosphors as optical thermometers was discussed, which exhibited good temperature sensitivity. However, CaMoO₄:0.09Eu³⁺ phosphor exhibited two peak absolute (Sa, 1.28 %K⁻¹ and 1.39 %K⁻¹) and relative sensitivities (Sr, 1.21 %K⁻¹ and 1.20 %K⁻¹). In addition, variation trend of Sr value with temperature was considerably peculiar. Two optimum Sa and Sr values were attributed to abnormal thermal quenching of CaMoO₄:0.09Eu³⁺ phosphor. Peak Sa and Sr values of BaMoO₄:0.03Eu³⁺ phosphor was 12.39 %K⁻¹ and 0.89 %K⁻¹, respectively. In addition, Sa of AMoO₄:Eu³⁺ phosphor was negatively related to Eu³⁺ central asymmetry, while peak Sr value was more inclined to appropriate ionic central asymmetry.     

Preparation and Luminescence Properties of Blue‐emitting Phosphor Ba2Ca(PO4)2:Eu2+

Using the conventional high temperature solid‐state reaction method Ba₂Ca(PO₄)₂:Eu²⁺ phosphors were prepared. The phase structure, photoluminescence (PL) properties, and the PL thermal stability of the samples were investigated, respectively. Under the excitation at 365 nm, the phosphor exhibited an asymmetric broad‐band blue emission with peak at 454 nm, which is ascribed to the 4f–5d transition of Eu²⁺. It was further proved that the dipole–dipole interactions results in the concentration quenching of Eu²⁺ in Ba₂Ca_1?x (PO₄)₂:xEu²⁺ phosphors. When the temperature turned up to 150°C, the emission intensity of Ba₂Ca_0.99(PO₄)₂:0.01Eu²⁺ phosphor was 59.07% of the initial value at room temperature. The activation energy ΔE was calculated to be 0.30 eV, which proved the good thermal stability of the sample. All the properties indicated that the blue‐emitting Ba₂Ca(PO₄)₂:Eu²⁺ phosphor has potential application in white LEDs.     

Zero-thermal-quenching of LiAl5O8: Eu2+, Mn2+ phosphors by energy transfer and defects engineering

The photoluminescence behavior of inorganic phosphors is generally influenced by thermal stability, which determines the luminescence efficiency of the corresponding devices. Here, a series of Eu²⁺, Mn²⁺ co-doped LiAl₅O₈ blue-green-emitting phosphors with thermal robust are successfully fabricated. The concentration-dependent emission spectra and the decay curves of the as-obtained LiAl₅O₈: Eu²⁺, Mn²⁺ samples manifest the occurrence of the energy transfer from Eu²⁺ to Mn²⁺ ions via dipole-dipole interaction, and the corresponding emitted colors are gradually modulated from blue to green under the excitation of 310 nm. Moreover, the zero-thermal-quenching luminescence is observed when the operation temperature is up to 423 K, which is attributed to the energy release from the trapping centers to emitting centers (Eu²⁺ and Mn²⁺) at high temperature. Furthermore, a warm white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) device with correlated color temperature of 5061 K, a color rendering index of 80.6 and long-term stability is fabricated by combining UV LED chip (λ_ex = 310 nm), as-obtained LiAl₅O₈: Eu²⁺, Mn²⁺ phosphor, commercially available red phosphor and green phosphor. These results prove the potential application of the as-obtained LiAl₅O₈: Eu²⁺, Mn²⁺ phosphor for UV-pumped WLEDs devices.     

A novel red-emitting Na5W3O9F5:Eu3+ phosphor with high color purity for blue-based WLEDs

Red phosphor plays a key role in improving the lighting and display quality of phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-WLEDs). Meanwhile, developing new luminescent matrix materials can positively contribute to the acquisition of ideal and efficient phosphors. In this work, we propose a novel red-emitting Na₅W₃O₉F₅:Eu³⁺ (NWOF:Eu³⁺) phosphor. The phase composition, morphology, electronic structure and photoluminescence properties of the NWOF:Eu³⁺ phosphor were systematically investigated. The EXAFS results prove that the Eu³⁺ dopants occupy the Na2 and Na3 sites in the NWOF host. Under 466 nm blue light excitation, NWOF:xEu³⁺ (0.05 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) phosphors display a dominant red emission at 607 nm and achieves a high color purity (97.44%) due to the dominant electric dipole transition (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) of Eu³⁺ ions. Impressively, this red-emitting NWOF:0.25Eu³⁺ phosphor exhibits relatively superior thermal stability (450 K, >50%) and excellent chromaticity stability (2.32 × 10^?4 ≤ ΔE ≤ 6.23 × 10^?3) from 298 K to 498 K. The activation energy for thermal quenching effect is determined to be 0.22 eV. Moreover, the pc-WLED was fabricated by coupling a 460 nm blue chip with the as-synthesized NWOF:0.25Eu³⁺ red phosphor and commercial YAG:Ce³⁺ phosphor. The optical parameters of the as-fabricated pc-WLED are also measured, and the CIE coordinates remain almost constant as the drive current increases from 20 mA to 120 mA. These results indicate that the NWOF:0.25Eu³⁺ red phosphors should be a suitable candidate as a red component for the preparation of pc-WLEDs.     

Enhanced red emission and improved thermal quenching of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ phosphors via boron doping

The development of high-performance phosphors is required for phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes. However, most approaches are unable to achieve optimum emission intensity and thermal quenching simultaneously. Here, a series of CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ (CASN:Eu²⁺) red-emitting phosphors doped with B were synthesized using field-assisted sintering technology. Compared with CASN:Eu²⁺, the B-doped phosphor exhibited high external quantum efficiency (EQE) and good thermal quenching performance. With boron doping, the EQE of CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ shows an obvious growth, increasing from 48.83% to 70.68%. Meanwhile, thermal quenching performance has also been greatly improved, which is strongly associated with the band structure of Eu²⁺ and the crystal structure of CASN. The location of B in the crystal lattice was studied and the mechanism of improving thermal quenching via B doping was discussed in detail. Finally, a white LED fabricated by the combination of a GaN blue chip (450 nm) with the as-synthesized red phosphors and Y₃(Al, Ga)₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ green phosphors (531 nm), shows a high color rendering index (Ra =91.6). This study offers a novel method to improve luminescence properties of CASN:Eu²⁺ red-emitting phosphors, which may broaden their application in solid-state lighting devices.     

Improved thermal stability and luminescence properties of SrSi2O2N2:Eu2+ green phosphor by a heterogeneous precipitation protocol for solid-state lighting applications

The SrSi₂O₂N₂:Eu²⁺ green-emitting phosphor, as a member of oxynitride phosphors, could greatly enhance the color quality of the white-light conversed by single yellow-emitting phosphor. However, SrSi₂O₂N₂:Eu²⁺ phosphors prepared by traditional solid-state ways normally consist hard agglomerates with unevenly dispersed particles and therefore suppress the luminescence properties. This research proposes a heterogeneous precipitation protocol where precipitation process is introduced, in order to produce a precursor in the first phase. And in the second phase, a high-temperature solid-state process is adopted for obtaining the final product. The main results show that, for an optimized SrSi₂O₂N₂:Eu²⁺ phosphor prepared using our protocol, (1) the SrSi₂O₂N₂:Eu²⁺ particles are faceted and with smooth faces and (2) the phosphor photoluminescence, external quantum efficiency, stability against thermal exposure, and physical stability consistently outperform the current commercially used product. This research essentially provides an economic way for production of solid-state lighting with enhanced color quality.     

Structure evolution and delayed quenching of the double perovskite NaLaMgWO6:Eu3+ phosphor for white LEDs

Eu³⁺ ions activated NaLaMgWO₆ phosphors were successfully synthesized by an improved sol-gel method using citric acid and polyethylene glycol as complexing agents. Crystal structure and doping site were investigated by XRD, Rietveld refinement and Raman spectra. The phosphors had monoclinic double perovskite structure with space group C2/m, as well as layered ordering of A-site and rock-salt ordering of B-site. The blueshift of Raman T_2g(1) mode manifested Eu³⁺ ions had entered into A-site. Thereafter, luminescence properties, such as excitation and emission spectra, CIE coordinates, concentration quenching and thermal quenching were discussed. The quenching concentration for hypersensitive electric dipole transition of Eu³⁺ reached up to 50.0 mol%. The delayed concentration quenching was observed in NaLaMgWO₆: Eu³⁺ phosphor. The theoretical quenching concentration was obtained based on L. Ozawa's theory, and the quenching mechanism on Dexter's theory. Excellent thermal stability of this phosphor shows that it is a potential red phosphor for solid state lighting.     

A high quantum yield red phosphor NaGdSiO4: Eu3+ with intense emissions from the 5D0→7F1,2 transition

Red phosphors with a high quantum yield and a lower thermal quenching are needed to improve the luminescence efficiency and the stability of phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (pc-WLEDs). We have designed a high quantum yield NaGdSiO₄ (NGSO) based phosphor with enhanced Eu³⁺ emissions of the ⁵D₀→⁷F₁ and ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ transitions. This design is based on the Eu³⁺ at both the inversion and non-inversion symmetry sites. In detail, we have studied the structure, morphology, and luminescence properties of NGSO: Eu³⁺ phosphors. Using a 394 nm UV excitation, a series of Eu³⁺ emissions of ⁵D₀→⁷F_J (0–4) transitions has been observed. The internal quantum efficiency (IQE) is 83.42% and the red color purity is 91.4%. These values are much higher than some reported results. The higher IQE and double intense ⁵D₀→⁷F₁ and ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ emissions might originate from an unusual structure disorder around Eu³⁺ ions in the NGSO lattice. The lifetime of the optimal phosphor NGSO: 0.5Eu³⁺ is about 2 ms, suitable for solid-state lighting. The intensities of the strong emissions at 595 and 624 nm of NGSO: 0.5Eu³⁺ at 150 °C is about 85% of that at 30 °C, demonstrating its excellent thermal stability. Furthermore, this red NGSO: 0.5Eu³⁺ phosphor was packaged into a warm pc-WLED, exhibiting a lower correlated color temperature (CCT) of 4222 K and a comparable color rendering index (CRI) of 86.7. These results show that this red phosphor could act as a red component of pc-WLEDs excited by the n-UV LED chip.     

LiSr3SiO4Cl3—A novel host lattice for Eu2+-activated luminescent materials

Eu²⁺-activated LiSr₃SiO₄Cl₃ phosphors were successfully designed, and prepared at low calcination temperature (650 °C). The crystal structure, morphology, and photoluminescence properties have been investigated in detail. The LiSr₃SiO₄Cl₃ crystallizes in orthorhombic LiEu₃SiO₄Cl₃-type structure. Under 316 nm excitation, the phosphor exhibits an asymmetric emission band peaking at 495 nm, which is probably attributed to the 4f–5d transitions of Eu²⁺ in various crystallographic sites. Their luminescence properties are investigated as a function of activator concentration (Eu²⁺). The quenching concentration of Eu²⁺ in LiEu₃SiO₄Cl₃ is about 0.01 due to dipole–dipole interaction. The investigation indicates that Eu²⁺-activated LiEu₃SiO₄Cl₃ phosphor can be used as a green emitting phosphor for white LEDs.     

Effect of ligand environment of rare-earth ions on temperature measurement performance of SrAO4:xEu3+ (A = Mo and W) phosphors

Molybdate and tungstate with scheelite-type structure are excellent self-luminescent materials, which can be used as ideal hosts for the doping of rare-earth ions. In this study, a series of Eu³⁺-activated SrAO₄ (A = Mo and W) phosphors were successfully synthesized, and their crystal structures, photoluminescence properties, and temperature measurement performance were analyzed in detail. These phosphors were excited by UV light (291 nm and 247 nm, respectively), with clear energy transfer (ET) (MoO₄^2?→Eu³⁺ or WO₄^2?→Eu³⁺). According to fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) and Judd–Ofelt (J–O) theory, compared to SrWO₄:0.01Eu³⁺ phosphor, SrMoO₄:0.01Eu³⁺ phosphor exhibited better thermal stability, with relatively low Sa value (maximum values were 5.082 %K^?1 and 20.74 %K^?1, respectively), and their Sr values were not significantly different (maximum values were 0.864 %K^?1 and 0.83 %K^?1, respectively). Sa value was negatively correlated to central asymmetry of Eu³⁺, but the optimal Sr value tended to be more suitable for central asymmetry of Eu³⁺. In addition, Eu³⁺ exhibited stronger central asymmetry as well as covalency of Eu–O bond in SrMoO₄. Results reveal that SrMoO₄:xEu³⁺ and SrWO₄:xEu³⁺ can be used for luminescent thermometers.