A crystal defect led zero thermal quenching β-NaYF4 : Eu3+,Dy3+ red emitting phosphor

Abstract

Red-light phosphors with extraordinary and stable thermal luminous properties must urgently be explored under the circumstances that commercial phosphors are suffering from serious thermal quenching effects and a lack of red-light components. Synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method, a new type of NaYF₄ : 0.065Eu³⁺,0.003Dy³⁺ phosphor with notable thermal luminous stability is reported in this study. As well as energy transfer between Dy³⁺ and Eu³⁺, this novel red-light phosphor manifests zero thermal quenching (ZTQ) performance under an increasing temperature of measurement. The ZTQ property stems from the interior defects of the crystal produced by the non-equivalence replacement between distinct ions. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations were utilized to verify the formation energy of two kinds of defects that make a vital contribution to the ZTQ performance of the NaYF₄ : 0.065Eu³⁺,0.003Dy³⁺ phosphor. This finding could make some contributions towards research into improving thermal luminous properties and stability.