BN-coated Ca(1-x)Sr(x)S:Eu solid-solution nanowires with tunable red light emission

We report on the controlled growth of novel BN-coated Ca(1-x)Sr(x)S:Eu nanowires via a solid-liquid-solid process. The Ca(1-x)Sr(x)S solid solution forms as one-dimensional nanowires and has been coated with homogeneous protective BN nanolayers. The structure and luminescence properties of this new nanocomposite have been systematically investigated. High-spatial-resolution cathodoluminescence investigations reveal that effective red color tuning has been achieved by tailoring the composition of the Ca(1-x)Sr(x)S nanowires. Moreover, codoping of Ce(3+) and Eu(2+) in the CaS nanowire can induce energy transfer in the matrix and make it possible to obtain enhanced orange color in the nanowires. The BN-coated Ca(1-x)Sr(x)S:Eu solid-solution nanowires are envisaged to be valuable red-emitting nanophosphors and useful in advanced nanodevices and white LEDs.