SrBPO₅: Ce³⁺, Dy³⁺ - A cold white-light emitting phosphor

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-State Chemistry
• Luminescence

Background:

• Developing efficient single-component white-light phosphors is crucial for advanced lighting applications.
• Strontium borophosphate (SrBPO₅) is explored as a novel host material for luminescence.
• Doping with cerium (Ce³⁺) and dysprosium (Dy³⁺) ions can tailor luminescent properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a single-component white-light emitting phosphor based on SrBPO₅: Ce³⁺, Dy³⁺.
• To investigate the luminescence properties, energy transfer mechanisms, and thermal stability of the synthesized phosphor.
• To confirm the suitability of the SrBPO₅ host material for phosphor applications.

Main Methods:

• High-temperature solid-state reaction for phosphor synthesis.
• Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) for phase purity analysis.
• Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations to assess host suitability.
• Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy (including temperature-dependent studies), lifetime decay, and time-resolved emission for luminescence and energy transfer studies.
• Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy-Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) for morphology and elemental analysis.

Main Results:

• Phase-pure SrBPO₅: Ce³⁺, Dy³⁺ phosphor was successfully synthesized.
• DFT calculations confirmed the suitability of SrBPO₅ as a phosphor host.
• Efficient energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Dy³⁺ via a non-radiative multipole-multipole mechanism was observed.
• The phosphor demonstrated high color purity, good quantum efficiency, and excellent thermal stability.
• SEM and EDX confirmed particle morphology and dopant distribution, while lifetime studies indicated multi-site occupancy of Ce³⁺.

Conclusions:

• SrBPO₅: Ce³⁺, Dy³⁺ is a promising single-component phosphor for white light emission.
• The observed efficient energy transfer and high thermal stability make it suitable for lighting applications.
• The study validates the potential of strontium borophosphate as a host for luminescent materials.