Stable color-tunable Ca₃Y(GaO)₃(BO₃)₄:Bi³⁺/Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺ phosphors for application in n-UV-pumped wLEDs

For further development of light sources, white light-emitting diodes (wLEDs) have attracted widespread attention as promising next-generation light sources fabricated via the combination of phosphors and LED chips. However, latent defects, such as chemical/thermal instability, low color rendering index (CRI) and high correlated color temperature (CCT), of current mainstream wLEDs seriously hinder their further large-scale implementation. Herein, in order to overcome these limitations, single-phase color-tunable gaudefroyite (Ca₃Y(GaO)₃(BO₃)₄ (CYGB)) tridoped with Bi³⁺/Tb³⁺/Eu³⁺ ions was synthesized for the first time and detailed characterisation was performed via high-temperature solid-state reaction and structural/spectral analyses, respectively. Radius difference percentage calculations and Rietveld refinements indicate that dopants occupy both Y³⁺ and Ca²⁺ sites but preferably the Y³⁺ site over the Ca²⁺ site due to the same valence state. Through subtly regulating the (co)doping contents and skillfully utilizing the energy transfer (ET) strategy from the allowed transition of blue light-emitting Bi to the forbidden transition of green/red light-emitting Tb/Eu, the color hue (including white light) of highly efficient PL can be easily tuned according to the need. Meanwhile, composition/content-optimized white light-emitting CYGB:2%Bi/10%Tb/12%Eu also shows splendid chemical/thermal stability. Finally, as a proof-of-concept experiment, the CYGB:2%Bi/10%Tb/12%Eu phosphor-converted wLED (pc-wLED) was fabricated and encapsulated via the up-to-date remote 'capping' method, which imparted attractive performances. Altogether, the stable CYGB:Bi/Tb/Eu phosphor is a promising candidate for application in lighting/display fields.