Photoluminescence properties of novel Ba2Lu5B5O17:Eu3+ red emitting phosphors with high color purity for near-UV excited white light emitting diodes

Abstract

A series of new red-emitting Ba₂Lu_4.98−xEu_xLa_0.02B₅O₁₇ (0.1 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) phosphors were synthesized via the high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The phase formation of the as-synthesized Ba₂Lu_4.48Eu_0.5La_0.02B₅O₁₇ phosphor was confirmed by powder X-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that La³⁺ doping resulted in the reduction of LuBO₃ impurities and thus pure phase Ba₂Lu₅B₅O₁₇ was realised. The morphology of Ba₂Lu_4.48Eu_0.5La_0.02B₅O₁₇ phosphors was studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). As a function of Eu³⁺ concentration the photoluminescence spectra and decay lifetimes were investigated in detail. Under excitation at 396 nm, a dominant red emission peak located at 616 nm (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂) indicated that Eu³⁺ ions mainly occupied low symmetry sites with a non-inversion center in Ba₂Lu_4.48Eu_0.5La_0.02B₅O₁₇. The optimal Eu³⁺ ion concentration was found to be x = 0.5 and the critical distance of Eu³⁺ was determined to be 6.55 Å. In addition, the concentration quenching takes place via dipole–dipole interactions. The phosphors exhibited good CIE (Commission International de I'Eclairage) color coordinates (x = 0.643, y = 0.356) situated in the red region and a high color purity of 97.8%. Furthermore, the internal quantum efficiency and the thermal stability of Ba₂Lu_4.48Eu_0.5La_0.02B₅O₁₇ phosphors were also investigated systematically. The results suggest that Ba₂Lu_4.48Eu_0.5La_0.02B₅O₁₇ may be a potential red phosphor for white light-emitting diodes.