Multisite-Occupancy-Driven Intense Narrow-Band Blue Emission from Sr5SiO4Cl6:Eu2+ Phosphor with Excellent Stability and Color Performance.

The development of an efficient blue phosphor with remarkable thermal stability required for high-quality white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) remains an exigent task and mainly concerned BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BAM:Eu). Despite the outstanding performance of BAM:Eu, the reduction in luminescence efficiency under long-term operation results in numerous researches on new hosts having lattice rigidity with symmetrical coordination environment. Therefore, we have synthesized a competent blue-emitting Eu2+-activated Sr5SiO4Cl6 (SSC) phosphors. The admirable rigidity of these phosphors with three Sr polyhedra Sr(I)O9, Sr(II)O7, and Sr(III)O8 assessed from Rietveld refinement indicate the dense connectivity in the crystal structure, and the ab initio calculations further support the firm electronic band structure. The broad excitation from 250 to 450 nm suitably matches the absorption band of a near-UV (n-UV) LED chip. The phosphor exhibited bright blue emission with internal quantum yield and color purity > 90% which contribute to the slender fwhm of 33 nm. The first-principle calculation indicates the most stable site for Eu2+ substitution as Sr(III)O8, and the experimental results agreed with this fact as well. The synthesized phosphor displayed an excellent thermal stability which is superior to that of the commercial BAM:Eu phosphor. The excellent thermal stability may be owed to the highly symmetric coordination environment of Eu2+ in the SSC host that are revealed from the distortion and charge density distribution calculation by density functional theory. The blue phosphor was further utilized for WLEDs and displayed white light with a high color-rendering index and suitable correlated color temperature, which is ideal for practical applications in warm WLEDs.

Resonant-enhanced full-color emission of quantum-dot-based micro LED display technology.

Colloidal quantum dots which can emit red, green, and blue colors are incorporated with a micro-LED array to demonstrate a feasible choice for future display technology. The pitch of the micro-LED array is 40 µm, which is sufficient for high-resolution screen applications. The method that was used to spray the quantum dots in such tight space is called Aerosol Jet technology which uses atomizer and gas flow control to obtain uniform and controlled narrow spots. The ultra-violet LEDs are used in the array to excite the red, green and blue quantum dots on the top surface. To increase the utilization of the UV photons, a layer of distributed Bragg reflector was laid down on the device to reflect most of the leaked UV photons back to the quantum dot layers. With this mechanism, the enhanced luminous flux is 194% (blue), 173% (green) and 183% (red) more than that of the samples without the reflector. The luminous efficacy of radiation (LER) was measured under various currents and a value of 165 lm/Watt was recorded.

Efficient hybrid white light-emitting diodes by organic-inorganic materials at different CCT from 3000K to 9000K.

The hybrid white light-emitting didoes (LED) with polyfluoren (PFO) polymer and quantum dot (QD) was investigated using dispensing method at the different correlated color temperature (CCT) for cool and warm color temperature. This result indicates that the hybrid white LED device has the higher luminous efficiency than the convention one, which could be attributed to the increased utilization rate of the UV light. Furthermore, the CIE 1931 coordinate of high quality white hybrid LED with different CCT range from 3000K to 9000K is demonstrated. Consequently, the angular-dependent CCT and the thermal issue of the hybrid white LED device were also analyzed in this study.

Host sensitization of Tb3+ ions in tribarium lanthanide borates Ba3Ln (BO3)3 (Ln = Lu and Gd).

The vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) spectroscopic properties of undoped and Tb(3+)-doped borates Ba(3)Ln(BO(3))(3) (Ln = Lu and Gd) with different crystal structures were investigated by using synchrotron radiation. Ba(3)Lu(BO(3))(3) (BLB) crystallizes in a hexagonal structure, whereas Ba(3)Gd(BO(3))(3) (BGB) crystallizes in a trigonal structure. The maximum host absorption for BLB and BGB was found to locate at ~179 and ~195 nm, respectively. Upon host excitation, BLB exhibits an intrinsic broad UV emission centered at 339 nm, which is attributed to the recombination of self-trapped excitons that may presumably be associated with band-gap excitations or molecular transitions within the BO(3)(3-) group. In contrast to BLB, no broad emission but line emission ascribed to a Gd(3+)(6)P(J)-(8)S(7/2) transition was observed in the emission spectrum of BGB. Upon doping of Tb(3+) ions into the hosts of BLB and BGB, an efficient energy transfer from the host excitations to Tb(3+) via host/Gd(3+) emission was observed, showing that host sensitization of Tb(3+) occurs in these rare-earth borates.

Thermally stable green Ba(3)Y(PO(4))3:Ce(3+),Tb(3+) and red Ca(3)Y(AlO)(3)(BO(3))4:Eu(3+) phosphors for white-light fluorescent lamps.

A class of thermal stable of green-emitting phosphors Ba(3)Y(PO(4))(3):Ce(3+),Tb(3+) (BYP:Ce(3+),Tb(3+)) and red-emitting phosphors Ca(3)Y(AlO)(3)(BO(3))(4):Eu(3+) (CYAB:Eu(3+)) for white-light fluorescent lamps were synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction. We observed a decay of only 3% at 150 °C for BYP:0.25Ce3+,0.25Tb3+ (3% for LaPO4:Ce(3+),Tb(3+)), and a decay of 4% for CYAB:0.5Eu(3+) (7% for Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+), 24% for Y(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+)). The emission intensity of composition-optimized Ba(3)(Y(0.5)Ce(0.25)Tb(0.25))(PO(4))(3) is 70% of that of commercial LaPO(4):Ce(3+),Tb(3+) phosphors, and the CIE chromaticity coordinates are found to be (0.323, 0.534). The emission intensity of Ca(3)(Y(0.5)Eu(0.5))(AlO)(3)(BO(3))(4) is 70% and 83% of those of Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) and Y(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+) phosphors, respectively, and the CIE chromaticity coordinates are redder (0.652, 0.342) than those of Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) (0.645, 0.347) and Y(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+) (0.647, 0.343). A white-light fluorescent lamp is fabricated using composition-optimized Ba(3)(Y(0.5)Ce(0.25)Tb(0.25))(PO(4))(3) and Ca(3)(Y(0.5)Eu(0.5))(AlO)(3)(BO(3))(4) phosphors and matching blue-emitting phosphors. The results indicate that the quality of the brightness and color reproduction is suitable for application in shortwave UV fluorescent lamps. The white-light fluorescent lamp displays CIE chromaticity coordinates of x = 0.33, y = 0.35, a warm white light with a correlated color temperature of 5646 K, and a color-rendering index of Ra = 70.

Novel yellow-emitting Sr8MgLn(PO4)7:Eu2+ (Ln=Y, La) phosphors for applications in white LEDs with excellent color rendering index.

Eu(2+)-activated Sr(8)MgY(PO(4))(7) and Sr(8)MgLa(PO(4))(7) yellow-emitting phosphors were successfully synthesized by solid-state reactions for applications in excellent color rendering index white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The excitation and reflectance spectra of these phosphors show broad band excitation and absorption in the 250-450 nm near-ultraviolet region, which is ascribed to the 4f(7) → 4f(6)5d(1) transitions of Eu(2+). Therefore, these phosphors meet the application requirements for near-UV LED chips. Upon excitation at 400 nm, the Sr(8)MgY(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+) and Sr(8)MgLa(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+) phosphors exhibit strong yellow emissions centered at 518, 610, and 611 nm with better thermal stability than (Ba,Sr)(2)SiO(4) (570 nm) commodity phosphors. The composition-optimized concentrations of Eu(2+) in Sr(8)MgLa(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+) and Sr(8)MgY(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+) phosphors were determined to be 0.01 and 0.03 mol, respectively. A warm white-light near-UV LED was fabricated using a near-UV 400 nm chip pumped by a phosphor blend of blue-emitting BaMgAl(10)O(17):Eu(2+) and yellow-emitting Sr(8)MgY(PO(4))(7):0.01Eu(2+) or Sr(8)MgLa(PO(4))(7):0.03Eu(2+), driven by a 350 mA current. The Sr(8)MgY(PO(4))(7):0.01Eu(2+) and Sr(8)MgLa(PO(4))(7):0.03Eu(2+) containing LEDs produced a white light with Commission International de I'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of (0.348, 0.357) and (0.365, 0.328), warm correlated color temperatures of 4705 and 4100 K, and excellent color rendering indices of 95.375 and 91.75, respectively.

Luminescence investigation on ultraviolet-emitting rare-earth-doped phosphors using synchrotron radiation.

Three series of new ultraviolet-emitting Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):Ln(3+) (Ln = Ce, Gd, Pr) phosphors were synthesized, and their luminescence was investigated. Under vacuum ultraviolet excitation Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):Ce(3+) phosphors emit UVA light with one broad emission centered at 346 nm, on account of the 5d(1) → 4f(1) transition of Ce(3+) ions; the optimal doping concentration of these phosphors is 0.2 mol. Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):Gd(3+) phosphors show a strong 4f(7) → 4f(7) transition and a sharp UVB emission band at 312 nm; the optimal doping concentration of these phosphors is 0.7 mol. The PL spectra of Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):Pr(3+) show two broad UVC emission bands centered between 230 and 340 nm, owing to the 4f(1)5d(1) → 4f(2) transition of Pr(3+) ions; the optimal doping concentration of these phosphors is 0.2 mol. Under 172 nm excitation, we found that the luminescence intensity of the UVA-emitting Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):0.2Ce(3+) is 0.3675 times that of BaSi(2)O(5):0.05Pb(2+), that of the UVB-emitting Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):0.7Gd(3+) is 1.7 times that of YAl(3)(BO(3))(4):0.25Gd(3+), and that of the UVC-emitting Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):0.2Pr(3+) is 1.5 times that of LaPO(4):0.1Pr(3+). The thermal stability investigation indicated that the luminescence decay was only 9.2%, 18.2%, and 10.3% for Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):0.2Ce(3+), Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):0.7Gd(3+), and Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):0.2Pr(3+) at 250 °C relative to that at ambient temperature, respectively. The Ca(9)Y(PO(4))(7):Ln(3+) (Ln = Ce, Gd, Pr) phosphors exhibit high emission efficiency and excellent thermal stability.

Improved Long-Term Reliability of a Silica-Encapsulated Perovskite Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Device with an Optically Pumped Remote Film Package.

In this study, inorganic perovskite (CsPbBr3) quantum dots are wrapped in SiO2 to provide better performance against external erosion. Long-term storage (250 days) is demonstrated with very little changes in the illumination capability of these quantum dots. While in the continuous aging procedure, different package architectures can achieve very different lifetimes. As long as 6000 h of lifetime can be expected from these quantum dots, but the blue shift of emission wavelength still needs more investigation.

Ca9La(PO4)7:Eu2+,Mn2+: an emission-tunable phosphor through efficient energy transfer for white light-emitting diodes.

We have synthesized a series of single-composition emission-tunable Ca(9)La(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+),Mn(2+) (CLP:Eu(2+),Mn(2+)) phosphors by solid state reactions. Through an effective resonance-type energy transfer, the CLP:Eu(2+),Mn(2+) phosphors exhibit a systematically varied hues from green, yellow, and eventually to red and the relative intensity of green and red emissions can be tuned by adjusting the concentration of Mn(2+), respectively. The energy transfer from Eu(2+) to Mn(2+) in CLP:Eu(2+),Mn(2+) has been studied and demonstrated to be a resonant type via a dipole-quadrupole mechanism based on the decay lifetime data and the energy transfer critical distance was estimated to be 11.36 A by using the spectral overlap methods. A warm white light emitting diode (WLED) with CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.35, 0.31), superior color-rendering index (Ra) of 91.5 and lower correlated color temperature (CCT) of 4,496 K was fabricated by combining a 365 nm UV-InGaN chip and a phosphor blend of yellow-emitting (Ca(0.98)Eu(0.005)Mn(0.015))(9)La(PO(4))(7) and blue-emitting BaMgAl(10)O(17):Eu(2+).

Novel yellowish-orange Sr8Al12O24S2:Eu2+ phosphor for application in blue light-emitting diode based white LED.

A new yellowish-orange phosphor, Sr(8)Al(12)O(24)S(2):Eu(2+), was synthesized by the solid-state method and its photoluminescence properties were investigated by excitation and emission spectra. Its excitation band is extending from 400-500 nm, which is adaptable to the emission band of blue LED chips (450-470 nm). Upon the excitation of 450 nm light, the phosphor exhibits strong yellowish-orange emission centered at 605 nm with good thermal stability. A white light-emitting diode (W-LED) that consists of a blue LED chip (approximately 470 nm) and a (Sr(0.92)Eu(0.08))(8)Al(12)O(24)S(2) phosphor is demonstrated. The CIE1931 chromaticity coordinates (x, y) are (0.34, 0.25), the correlated color temperature (CCT) is 4300 K, and the luminous efficacy of this W-LED is 14.2 lm/W at room temperature and with a forward-bias current of 400 mA.

High color rendering white light-emitting-diode illuminator using the red-emitting Eu(2+)-activated CaZnOS phosphors excited by blue LED.

A red phosphor CaZnOS:Eu(2+) was synthesized by solid state reaction and has been evaluated as a candidate for white LEDs. For this material, the XRD, PL, PL excitation (PLE) and diffuse reflection spectra have also been investigated. CaZnOS:Eu(2+) reveals a broad absorption band and good color purity. By utilizing a mixture of red-emitting CaZnOS:Eu(2+), green-emitting (Ba,Sr)(2)SiO(4):Eu(2+) and yellow-emitting Y(3)Al(5)O(12):Ce(3+) as light converters, an intense white InGaN-based blue-LED (~460 nm) was fabricated to exhibit a high color-rendering index Ra of 85 at a correlated color temperature of 4870 K. Based on the results, we are currently evaluating the potential application of CaZnOS:Eu(2+) as a red-emitting blue-chip convertible phosphor.

Emission color variation of (Ba,Sr)3BP3O12:Eu2+ phosphors for white light LEDs.

A series of alkaline earth borophosphate phosphors, (Ba,Sr)(3)BP(3)O(12) doped with Eu(2+) ions, were synthesized by a solid state reaction. Two emission bands at 465 nm and 520 nm were attributed to the f-d transitions of doped Eu(2+) ions occupying in two different cation sites in host lattices and emission color variation was observed by substituting the M(2+) sites, which was rationalized in terms of two competing factors of the crystal field strength and bond covalence. Green and bluish-white pc-LEDs were fabricated by combination of a 370 nm near-UV chip and composition-optimized Ba(3)BP(3)O(12):Eu(2+) and (Ba,Sr)(3)BP(3)O(12):Eu(2+) phosphors, respectively. The series of phosphors may serve as a promising green and bluish-white luminescent materials used in fabrication of near UV-based white pc-LEDs.

Intense violet-blue-emitting Ba(2)AlB(4)O(9)Cl:Eu(2+) phosphors for applications in fluorescent lamps and ultraviolet-light-emitting diodes.

We synthesized a violet-blue phosphor Ba(2)AlB(4)O(9)Cl:Eu(2+) with a solid-state reaction. The excitation and emission spectra of this phosphor showed that all were broadband due to 4f(7)-4f(6)d(1) transitions of Eu(2+). The phosphors with different Eu(2+) concentrations presented violet-blue luminescence for ultraviolet [(UV) 250-390nm] excitation. The optimum concentration of Eu(2+) in Ba(2)AlB(4)O(9)Cl:Eu(2+) is determined to be 6mol.%. The luminous efficiency was found to be 8.1lm/W for the violet-blue fluorescent lamp and 3.2lm/W for the violet-blue phosphor-converted light-emitting diode, respectively. Ba(2)AlB(4)O(9)Cl:Eu(2+) would be a promising phosphor for converting the UV radiation to violet-blue emission for a novel high light-conversion efficiency phototherapy illuminator.

Rapid synthesis of hybrid methylammonium lead iodide perovskite quantum dots and rich MnI2 substitution favouring Pb-free warm white LED applications.

We present a facile room temperature synthesis of CH3NH3Pb1-x Mn x I3 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) substituting manganese (Mn2+) at the lead (Pb2+) sites to minimize environmental pollution and make it commercially feasible. By varying the concentration of Mn2+ from 0 to 60%, the PQDs exhibit strong color tunability from red to orange color suggesting successful energy transfer due to Mn2+ inclusion. We observed a high external photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 98% for unsubstituted CH3NH3PbI3 and >50% for up to 15% Mn2+ substituted PQDs. The average lifetime of PQDs was found to shorten with increasing Mn2+ replacement. We demonstrate a white LED prototype by employing the CH3NH3Pb1-x Mn x I3 PQDs with green QDs on a blue LED chip. The CRI and CCT value varying from 92 to 80 and 5100 K to 2900 K, respectively, indicate the usability of the Mn2+ substituted PQDs as efficient warm white LEDs with a promising CRI and good stability.

Quantitative determination of triglyceride by photoactivated CdSe/ZnS quantum dots through fluorescence assay.

The quantitative detection of triglycerides is an important issue for health inspection of metabolic disorders and for food and oil-refining industries. Many methods have been designed to approach this target, in which multiple reactions catalyzed by enzymes are normally coupled consecutively. In this study, we demonstrated a simple assay system containing lipase and photoactivated luminescent CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) for the quantitative detection of triglycerides. Photoactivated CdSe/ZnS QDs function as a sensitive "indicator" to reveal the minute acidity change of the assay system resulting from the enzymatic hydrolysis of triglycerides. By controlling the initial buffer condition of the assay system at 5, 10, or 20 mM phosphate buffer at pH 8.0, respectively, the quenching ratio of the QDs fluorescence intensity monitored at the maximum photoluminescence showed a linear correlation with the concentration of the examined triglyceride in the range of 0.02-6, 0.2-10, or 2-20 mM, respectively. The assay system also provides a convenient way to estimate triglyceride concentration by visualizing the color change of the QDs fluorescence. As compared to most of the existing methods, the system reported herein possessed many advantages, including simplicity, low cost, high flexibility, and high sensitivity. Furthermore, no complicated chemical modification or enzyme immobilization is needed.

Promising Er3+/Yb3+-Codoped GdBiW2O9 Phosphor for Temperature Sensing by Upconversion Luminescence.

Yb3+/Er3+-codoped GdBiW2O9 phosphors are prepared via the solid-state route for application in upconversion temperature sensors. The structural analyses indicate that all phosphors possess a single-phased orthorhombic structure. Upon the excitation of a laser wavelength of 980 nm, Yb3+/Er3+-codoped GdBiW2O9 phosphors emanate green emission peaks, endorsed to the emission to the 4I15/2 state from the 4S3/2 and 2H11/2 states, respectively, and the weak emission (red) from the 4F9/2 state to the 4I15/2 state of Er3+ ion. The upconversion mechanism has been elucidated via the scheme of energy levels conferred from the pump power-induced upconversion characteristics. The temperature-dependent upconversion of GdBiW2O9 phosphors was investigated in detail along with the estimation of the stability and repeatability of the measurement. The obtained sensitivity data for the present materials with the corresponding sensing parameters show their probable outlook in temperature sensing applications.

La6Si4S17:Ce3+: luminescence and lighting applications of a novel green-emitting phosphor.

An efficient green-emitting La6Si4S17:Ce3+ phosphor was synthesized using a solid-state method. The phosphor exhibits a triclinic structure as the main phase. A broad green emission is observed upon excitation at 420 nm with a quantum efficiency of 83%. A white LED fabricated with the phosphor is promising for use in solid-state lighting applications.

Novel Eu2+-activated thiogallate phosphors for white LED applications: structural and spectroscopic analysis.

Novel Eu2+-activated BaGa2SiS6 and Ba2Ga8SiS16 thiogallate phosphors were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The BaGa2SiS6:Eu2+ phosphor generated a green emission upon excitation at 405 nm, whereas the Ba2Ga8SiS16:xEu2+ phosphor could be tuned from cyan to green range with increasing Eu2+ concentration upon excitation at 365 nm. Additionally, the thermal luminescence properties of the thiogallate phosphors were investigated in the temperature range of 25 to 250 °C. A warm-white LED is fabricated using the combination of a 405 nm blue InGaN-based LED chip with the green-emitting BaGa2SiS6:0.01Eu2+ phosphor, and red-emitting Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ commercial phosphor with the CRI value of ∼88 and the CCT of 4213 K.

Liquid Type Nontoxic Photoluminescent Nanomaterials for High Color Quality White-Light-Emitting Diode.

High-brightness white-light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs) with excellent color quality is demonstrated by using nontoxic nanomaterials. Previously, we have reported the high color quality w-LEDs with heavy-metal phosphor and quantum dots (QDs), which may cause environmental hazards. In the present work, liquid-type white LEDs composed of nontoxic materials, named as graphene and porous silicon quantum dots are fabricated with a high color rendering index (CRI) value gain up to 95. The liquid-typed device structure possesses minimized surface temperature and 25% higher value of luminous efficiency as compare to dispensing-typed structure. Further, the as-prepared device is environment friendly and attributed to low toxicity. The low toxicity and high R9 (87) component values were conjectured to produce new or improve current methods toward bioimaging application.

A highly sensitive system for urea detection by using CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots.

An original and novel assay system with urease as a catalyst and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) as an indicator has been developed for quantitative analysis of urea. By mixing urease and QDs, the determination of urea can be performed in a quantitative manner. The detection is based on the enhancement of QD photoluminescence (PL) intensity, which is correlated to the enzymatic degradation of urea. By controlling the buffer concentration and pH, PL enhancement due to the degradation of urea is linear in the urea concentration ranging from 0.01 to 100mM. This property makes the urease/QDs system to be a promising urea-biosensing system. The newly developed system is a superior design and possesses many advantages, including its simple preparation, low cost, no enzyme immobilization required, high flexibility, and good sensitivity.