A highly intense double perovskite BaSrYZrO5.5: Eu3+ phosphor for latent fingerprint and security ink applications

A novel double perovskite BaSrYZrO_5.5:Eu³⁺ red-emitting phosphor was synthesized and characterized by XRD, SEM and PL analyses. The structure of the prepared phosphor was confirmed through JCPDS as well as Rietveld refinement analysis. The present phosphor shows an intense red emission at 613 nm when excited by 394 nm. The CIE colour coordinates value of BaSrYZrO_5.5:Eu³⁺ (9 mol%) phosphor is found to be (0.6181, 0.3783) and it has high colour purity of 99.1%. The 613 nm transition integrated intensity of the present phosphor is 4.44 times higher compared to the commercial red phosphor. The thermal stability and Quantum yield of optimized BSYZ:Eu³⁺ (9 mol%) phosphor were also calculated. The BSYZ:Eu³⁺ phosphor results can be employed as an efficient red component in latent fingerprint detection and anti-counterfeiting applications.     

Visible quantum cutting in BaGd2ZnO5:Eu3+ phosphor

Eu³⁺ doped BaGd₂ZnO₅ phosphor was synthesized by a traditional solid-state reaction. The crystal structure of the product was characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD). The ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoluminescence properties of the phosphor were studied. Excitation spectra inferred that efficient energy transfer from Gd³⁺ to Eu³⁺ exists in the BaGd₂ZnO₅:Eu³⁺. The visible quantum cutting process based on the Gd³⁺–Eu³⁺ couple was observed in the BaGd₂ZnO₅:Eu³⁺ phosphor. Two-step energy transfer process from Gd³⁺ to Eu³⁺, viz. a cross-relaxation and a sequential transfer of the remaining excitation energy, is the mechanism responsible for visible quantum cutting in BaGd₂ZnO₅:Eu³⁺ phosphor. Quantum cutting efficiency in BaGd₂ZnO₅:Eu³⁺ was calculated to be around 133%.     

Homogeneous Precipitation Synthesis and Low‐Voltage Cathodoluminescence of SnO2:Eu3+ Phosphors for Field Emission Displays

A reddish‐orange‐emitting SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphor for field emission displays (FEDs) was successfully synthesized via a homogeneous precipitation route using urea as a precipitant. The influences of the dopant concentration of Eu³⁺ and calcination temperature on optical properties were investigated. The low‐voltage field emission properties of the FED device prepared using the synthesized SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors were reported. Under the UV light, SnO₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors display the strong orange–red emission peaked at 587, 591, and 597 nm due to the ⁵D₀→⁷F₁ magnetic dipole transition of Eu³⁺. The phosphor doped with 1.0 mol% Eu³⁺ possesses the highest photoluminescent (PL) intensity. Under the low‐voltage excitation of 300 V, the fabricated FED device exhibits the bright orange–red emission, high‐voltage brightness saturation, and high color purity, which has a potential application in low‐voltage full color FEDs.     

Luminescence and structural properties of Gd2SiO5:Eu3+ phosphors synthesized from the modified solid state method

This paper reports the preparation of Eu³⁺ doped Gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (Gd₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺) phosphor with different concentration of Eu³⁺(0.1–2.5 mol%) using the modified solid state reaction method. The synthesis procedure of the Gd₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺phosphor using inorganic materials such as Gd₂O₃, silicon dioxide (SiO₂), europium oxide (Eu₂O₃) and boric acid (H₃BO₃) as flux is discussed in detail. The prepared phosphor samples were characterized by using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Field Emission Gun Scanning Electron Microscopy (FEGSEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Photoluminescence (PL) and Thermoluminescence (TL). The Commission Internationale de l′Eclairage(CIE) coordinates were also calculated. The PL emission was observed in the 350–630 nm range for the Gd₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺ phosphor. PL excitation peaks were observed at 266, 275, 312 and 395 nm while the emission peaks were observed at 380, 416, 437, 545, 579, 589, 607, 615 and 628 nm. The emission peak at 615 nm was the most intense peak for all the different Eu³⁺ concentration samples. From the XRD data, using the Scherrer's formula, the average crystallite size of the Gd₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺ phosphor was calculated to be 33 nm. TL was carried out for the phosphor after both UV and gamma irradiation. The TL response of the Gd₂SiO₅:Eu³⁺ phosphor for the two different radiations was compared and studied in detail. It was found that the present phosphor can acts as a single host for red emission (1.5 mol%) for display devices and light emitting diode (LED) and white light emission for Eu³⁺(0.1 mol%) and it might be used as a TL dosimetric material for gamma dose detection.     

Structural and spectral properties of red light emitting Eu3+ activated TiO2 nanophosphor for white LED application

The structural and luminescent properties of Eu³⁺ doped TiO₂ nanophosphors synthesized by low cost combustion method were investigated. The X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that crystallite size decreases with doping concentration. Lattice volume expansion occurred due to the substitution of Ti⁴⁺ ions by larger ionic radii ions Eu³⁺. FESEM images showed prepared phosphors to be nano size spherical shaped particles. Energy band gap of 3 mol% Eu³⁺ doped samples decreased to 3.15 eV due to doping effect. The Eu³⁺ doped TiO₂ nanophosphors exhibited main red emission peak centered at 616 nm under 395 nm UV light excitation. Concentration quenching was observed at 3 mol% doping, that has been ascribed to dipole-dipole interaction. The covalent nature of Eu-O bond and environment around Eu³⁺ ions were discussed using Judd-Ofelt (J-O) intensity parameters. Internal quantum efficiency was calculated using excited state lifetime ⁵D₀ state of Eu³⁺ ion and J-O theory. The CIE colour coordinates and colour purity were calculated using the spectral energy distribution function. Low excited state life time indicated that Eu³⁺ doped TiO₂ can be used as red emitting phosphor for white light emitting diode applications.     

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.     

LiCaAlN2:Eu3+/Tb3+: Red and green phosphors for LEDs and FEDs with charge transfer transition in n‐UV region

LiCaAlN₂:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ red/green phosphors were successfully prepared by conventional solid‐state reaction. The photoluminescence (PL) properties and cathodoluminescence (CL) properties of LiCaAlN₂:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ were investigated in detail. The Eu³⁺ (Tb³⁺) doped LiCaAlN₂ shows red (green) emission peaking at 615 nm (550 nm). Monitored at 615 nm (550 nm), it is interesting to found that LiCaAlN₂:Eu³⁺ (LiCaAlN₂:Tb³⁺) has a broad charge transfer transition in the range of 350‐450 nm (275‐375 nm) peaking at 380 nm (343 nm), which can be efficiently excited by n‐UV light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). Under electron beam excitation, LiCaAlN₂:Tb³⁺ exhibited a good resistance to the current saturation. The white LED has also been fabricated with blue, green, and LiCaAlN₂:Eu³⁺ red phosphor. The results indicate that LiCaAlN₂:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ could be conducive to the development of phosphor‐converted LEDs and field emission displays (FEDs).     

Strong f–f excitation in hafnium germanate: Near-UV LED and cathode beam–pumped red phosphor with thermal robustness

Developing narrowband red phosphors has always been a frontier topic in the phosphor community. In this study, a novel hafnium germanate red phosphor, BaHfGe₃O₉:Eu³⁺, was successfully synthesized by solid-state reaction method. The phase and crystal structure of BaHfGe₃O₉ were investigated by the Rietveld refinement of powder X-ray powder diffraction. The band structure was analyzed by density functional theory calculations. Most importantly, the luminescence behavior of phosphors under near-ultraviolet (n-UV) light and cathode rays sources was studied in detail to explore the possibility of their applications in white light-emitting diodes and field emission display. The BaHfGe₃O₉:Eu³⁺ phosphor exhibits strong f–f excitation and excellent thermal robustness due to Eu³⁺ localization in the rigid lattice and asymmetric Ba²⁺ sites. Under cathode rays and n-UV light excitation, BaHfGe₃O₉:Eu³⁺ exhibits narrowband red light emission peaked at 610 nm. Moreover, BaHfGe₃O₉:Eu³⁺ shows excellent saturation resistance and aging resistance. The performance of the LED lamp encapsulated by the BaHfGe₃O₉:Eu³⁺ phosphor was studied. The results show that BaHfGe₃O₉:Eu³⁺ is a potential red phosphor for multifunctional applications.     

Tunable chromaticity and enhanced luminous efficacy of white LEDs with phosphor-in-glass coating via multilayer screen-printing

The phosphor-in-glass (PiG) coating was fabricated via multilayer screen-printing and low-temperature sintering. The PiG coating consisted of Eu₂O₃-doped P₂O₅-ZnO-B₂O₃ (PZB) glass, Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (YAG:Ce) yellow phosphor, and CaAlSiN₃:Eu²⁺ (CASN:Eu) red phosphor. Eu₂O₃ and CASN:Eu were used to provide red emission for tunable chromaticity of white light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and surprisingly, the luminous efficacy was also enhanced. The impact of the variation in the B₂O₃ content on the PZB glass and the effect of Eu₂O₃, YAG: Ce, and CASN:Eu on the luminescent properties of the PiG coating were investigated. The glass matrix with 8 mol% B₂O₃ showed the lowest transition temperature and a suitable coefficient of thermal expansion. The spectra showed that the coating can be excited by blue light and produce yellow light and red light. The spatial distribution of the PiG coating was inspected by scanning electron microscopy, and it was observed that only a low erosion of phosphor by the glass matrix occurred. Furthermore, the white LEDs devices were constructed with the PiG coating on the blue LED chips. This method showed a decreased correlated colour temperature of 5137, a increased colour rendering index of 82.8 and an improvement in the luminous efficacy. The PiG coating for tunable chromaticity and enhanced luminous efficacy of white LEDs shows potential for application.     

Luminescence properties of Ca2GdNbO6: Sm3+, Eu3+ red phosphors with high quantum yield and excellent thermal stability for WLEDs

A series of Ca₂GdNbO₆: xSm³⁺ (0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.15) and Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, yEu³⁺ (0.05 ≤ y ≤ 0.3) phosphors were synthesized by the traditional solid-state sintering process. XRD and the corresponding refinement results indicate that both Sm³⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions are doped successfully into the lattice of Ca₂GdNbO₆. The micro-morphology shows that the elements of Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, 0.2Eu³⁺ phosphor are evenly distributed in the sample, and the particle size is about 2 μm. The optical properties and fluorescence lifetime of Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors were detailedly studied. The emission peak at ⁵D₀→⁷F₂ (614 nm) is the strongest and emits red light under 406 nm excitation. The increase of Eu³⁺ concentration causes the energy transfers from Sm³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions, and the transfer efficiency reaches 28.6%. Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, 0.2Eu³⁺ phosphor has a quantum yield of about 82.7%, and thermal quenching activation energy is of 0.312 eV. The color coordinate (0.646, 0.352) of Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, 0.2Eu³⁺ phosphors is located in the red area. The LED device fabricated based on the above phosphor emit bright white light, and CCT = 5400 K, Ra = 92.8. The results present that Ca₂GdNbO₆: 0.03Sm³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors potentially find use in the future.     

Ca5Ga6O14:Eu3+: A novel phosphor with outstanding heat resistance for white light-emitting diodes

A novel red-emitting phosphor Ca₅Ga₆O₁₄:Eu³⁺ has been synthesized using solid-state method. The excitation and emission spectra show that the phosphor can emit the red light with the main peak at 611 nm under excitation of the 280 and 393 nm UV chip and the optimal Eu³⁺ concentration is determined to be x = 0.07. Analysis of emission spectrum shows that Eu³⁺ occupy the center of noninversion symmetry. With the increase of Eu³⁺ doping concentration, the decay time is prolonged due to deeper energy trap arising from nonequivalent substitution. Additionally, the measured thermal stability with 0.539 eV activation energy and calculated 90.5% color purity of optimal phosphor indicate that the phosphor has an enormous application potential in w-LEDs industry.     

Photoluminescence properties of NUV light excited Ba(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3:Eu3+ red phosphor with high color purity

In this work, a new red phosphor with high color purity, Eu³⁺ ions doped Ba(Mg_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ phosphor has been prepared by wet chemical method. The structure analysis suggests BMN:x%Eu phosphors have a hexagonal phase and Ba²⁺ ions are replaced by Eu³⁺ ions in BMN. Upon excitation of NUV light, the BMN:x%Eu phosphors emit strong red light around 615?nm, derived from the ⁵D₀-⁷F₂ transition of Eu³⁺ ions. The relationship between luminescent properties and structure of BMN:x%Eu was discussed. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters (Ω₂, Ω₄) were calculated to analyze the asymmetry of the Eu³⁺ ions site occupancy further, and the quantum efficiency of BMN:3%Eu was found to be 77.26%. In addition, the decay curve indicates the decay time(τ) of BMN:3%Eu is determined to be 1.34?ms and Eu³⁺ ions occupy only one type of site. The CIE chromaticity coordinate (0.656,0.344) of BMN:3%Eu is quite close to the red phosphors standard value (0.670, 0.330), which indicates BMN:x%Eu can be a suitable red phosphor used in NUV-based white LEDs.     

Facile synthesis of the desired red phosphor Li2Ca2Mg2Si2N6:Eu2+ for high CRI white LEDs and plant growth LED device

The red emission with suitable peak wavelength and narrow band is acutely required for high color rendering index (CRI) white LEDs without at the cost of the luminous efficacy. Herein, the Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ red phosphor was prepared with facile solid-state method using Ca₃N₂, Mg₃N₂, Si₃N₄, Li₃N, and Eu₂O₃ as the safety raw materials under atmospheric pressure for the first time, which shows red emission peaking at 638 nm with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 62 nm under blue light irradiation and becomes the desired red phosphor to realize the balance between luminous efficacy and high CRI in white LEDs. The morphology, structure, luminescence properties, thermal quenching behavior, and chromaticity stability of the Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ phosphor are investigated in detail. Concentration quenching occurs when the Eu²⁺ content exceeds 1.0 mol%, whereas high-temperature photoluminescent measurements show a 32% drop from the room-temperature efficiency at 423 K. In view of the excellent luminescence performances of Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ phosphor, a white LEDs with CRI of 91 as a proof-of-concept experiment was fabricated by coating the title phosphor with Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ on a blue LED chip. In addition, the potential application of the title phosphor in plant growth LED device was also demonstrated. All the results indicate that Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ is a promising red-emitting phosphor for blue LED-based high CRI white LEDs and plant growth lighting sources.     

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).     

Synthesis and photoluminescence performance of single-component Ca3YAl3B4O15:Dy3+, Eu3+ white-emitting phosphor for white light-emitting diodes

A single-component Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅ (CYAB):Dy³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphor was synthesized by the traditional high temperature solid-phase method, Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺ were codoped in the structure to obtain a warm white emission. The results of XRD and EDS revealed that all samples had the standard Ca₃YAl₃B₄O₁₅ structure, and no impurity phase appeared with codoping. The emission of Dy³⁺ in CYAB consisted of both main peaks at 476 nm and 570 nm, with which a white emission could be observed. Furthermore, a characteristic emission peak of Eu³⁺ appeared at 617 nm in Dy³⁺/Eu³⁺-codoped samples to supplement red component for the white emission of Dy³⁺, due to the energy transfer effect between Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺. With the amount of Eu³⁺ raised, the correlated colour temperature of CYAB:Dy³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphor obviously decreased, and a warm white light was successfully realized from the manufactured w-LEDs. Therefore, all results indicated that the single-component Dy³⁺/Eu³⁺ codoped CYAB white-emitting phosphor had a potential application in ultraviolet excited w-LEDs.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of single‐component Ca5(PO4)3F:Dy3+, Eu3+ white‐emitting phosphors

A series of Ca₅(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors was synthesized by a solid‐state reaction method. The XRD results show that all as‐prepared Ca₅(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺, Eu³⁺ samples match well with the standard Ca₅(PO₄)₃F structure and the doped Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions have no effect on the crystal structure. Under near‐ultraviolet excitation, Dy³⁺ doped Ca₅(PO₄)₃F phosphor shows blue (486 nm) and yellow (579 nm) emissions, which correspond to ⁴F_9/2→⁶H_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2→⁶H_13/2 transitions respectively. Eu³⁺ co‐doped Ca₅(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺ phosphor shows the additional red emission of Eu³⁺ at 631 nm, and an improved color rendering index. The chromaticity coordinates of Ca₅(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors also indicate the excellent warm white emission characteristics and low correlated color temperature. Overall, these results suggest that the Ca₅(PO₄)₃F:Dy³⁺, Eu³⁺ phosphors have potential applications in warm white light‐emitting diodes as single‐component phosphor.     

Eu3+‐doped glass as a color rendering index enhancer in phosphor‐in‐glass

A new method for improving color rendering index (CRI) and low correlated color temperature (CCT) in high‐power white‐light‐emitting diodes (WLEDs) is proposed. We used a configuration of phosphor‐in‐glass (PIG) and studied light output changes with the increment in concentration of yellow‐emitting Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (YAG:Ce³⁺) phosphor. The PIG was coupled on the top of blue‐light‐emitting diodes (LED) chip (465 nm). To compensate the lack of red emission in the phosphor, Eu³⁺‐doped tellurium glass with different europium content was employed as a red emitter. The suitable contents of YAG:Ce³⁺ and Eu³⁺ were 7.5 weight percent (wt%) and 3 mol percent (mol%), respectively. The CRI value went from 72 to 82, whereas the CCT was reduced from 24 933 to 6434 K. The proposed structure can improve CCT as well as CRI of WLEDs just by placing a glass on top.     

Synthesis,crystal structure and temperature dependent luminescence of Eu3+ doped SrGd2O4 host: An approach towards tunable red emissions for display applications

In the present paper, an investigation on the structural and photoluminescence (PL) properties of SrGd₂O₄:Eu³⁺ ceramic phosphors synthesized by homogeneous precipitation method followed by combustion process has been reported. The samples, annealed at 1200 °C, were crystallized into orthorhombic phase without any impurities. Microscopic studies revealed the irregular morphology of the obtained ceramic phosphor particles having sizes in the range of 0.3–3 µm. The characteristic photoluminescence properties and decay curves were studied in detail as a function of Eu³⁺ concentration and temperature. The Eu³⁺ doped ceramic samples illuminated with UV light revealed the characteristic red luminescence corresponding to ⁵D₀→⁷F_J transitions of Eu³⁺. The concentration quenching phenomenon of Eu³⁺ ions in the present host, analyzed in the light of ion-ion interaction, indicated multipolar interaction between Eu³⁺ ions. Finally, the intensity parameters (Ω₂, Ω₄) and various radiative properties such as stimulated emission cross-section (σ_e), gain band-width (σ_e×Δλ_eff) and optical gain (σ_e×τ_exp) of Eu³⁺ in the SrGd₂O₄ ceramic phosphors have been calculated by using Judd-Ofelt theory. The present phosphor system exhibited efficient red emission with high red color purity (95%) and adequate thermal stability even at 200 °C. Present research broadly indicated the suitability of SrGd₂O₄:Eu³⁺ ceramic phosphor for display applications.     

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.     

Synthesis of nano-sized YAG:Eu phosphor in continuous supercritical water system

Luminescent yttrium aluminum garnet (Y₃Al₅O₁₂) nanoparticles doped with Eu (YAG:Eu³⁺) were continuously synthesized by directly feeding potassium hydroxide solution and metal salt solution to supercritical water (SCW). Effects of Eu concentration, pH, and residence time on photo-luminescence were studied using a continuous tubular reactor. Residence time played a key role in producing single-phase YAG:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles. The residence time of 20 s under SCW conditions (400 °C and 280 bar) was enough to form YAG:Eu³⁺ phosphor without any intermediate phases. At this residence time, the Eu concentration and pH condition under SCW contributed to improving the size, morphology and luminescent property of YAG: Eu³⁺ nanoparticles. The average size of the prepared phosphor nanoparticles at 10 at.% and pH of 9.10 was 74 nm and the morphology was identified as nearly uniform and spherical-like in shape. Without further thermal treatment, the phosphor YAG:Eu³⁺ synthesized in the continuous reactor under SCW conditions showed strong luminescence properties and red emission spectra.