Wet-chemical preparation of barium magnesium orthophosphate, Ba2Mg(PO4)(2):Eu2+, nanorod phosphor with enhanced optical and photoluminescence properties

摘要

We report a wet-chemical synthesis of yellow-emitting nanorod phosphors based on a Eu2+-doped Ba2Mg(PO4)(2) (BMP:Eu) orthophosphate compound, and its enhanced optical and photoluminescence properties. A phase-pure BMP: Eu nanorod phosphor was prepared, for the first time, by using a two-step procedure: preparation of an amorphous nanorod precursor by a solution method (pH and reaction-temperature control) and a subsequent post-annealing process. The BMP: Eu phosphor prepared under optimal conditions (5.0 mol% of Eu2+, reacted at a pH 9, and annealed at 800 degrees C in a reducing atmosphere) consisted of similar to 350 nm (length) x similar to 60 nm (diameter) nanorods. This phosphor exhibited superior photoluminescence and optical properties compared to a micro-sized bulk BMP:Eu phosphor that was prepared by using a conventional solid-state reaction method: the nanophosphor, exhibited a higher light absorption in the n-UV region and higher transmittance of longer-wavelength light (yellow, similar to 600 nm), owing to its smaller/uniform size, nanorod morphology, and high dispersivity in epoxy. The nanophosphor is therefore well-suited for white-LED applications.