Synthesis and characterization of nano Sr2CeO4 doped with Eu and Gd phosphor

The present paper reports the synthesis and Photoluminescence (PL) studies of the Eu and Gd rare earth ions, co-doped in Sr2CeO4 phosphor at different concentrations within the range from 0.1 to 2 mol% using inorganic materials like Strontium Carbonate (SrCO3), Cerium Oxide (CeO2), Europium Oxide (Eu2O3) and Gadolinium Oxides (Gd2O3). The samples were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method, which is the most suitable for large-scale production. The received phosphor samples were characterized using XRD, SEM, PL, TL, FTIR and CIE techniques. Undoped Sr2CeO4 exhibits good photoluminescence emission due to the charge transfer (CT) mechanism. The PL emission mainly concentrates around 467 nm, when excited with 254, 260, 280 and 350 nm wavelengths. The Sr2CeO4 phosphor, when co-doped with Eu and Gd, the PL emission was observed from 350 to 650 nm range, sharp peaks around 467, 478, 491, 500, 511, 538, 557, 569, 587, 601 and 617 nm with high intensity. From the XRD data, using the Scherer's formula the calculated average crystallite size of undoped Sr2CeO4 is around 28 nm and co-doped with Eu, Gd is around 31 nm. Thermoluminescence (TL) studies were carried on all the phosphors under study. The present phosphor can act as single host for white light emission in compact fluorescent (CFL) and fluorescent lamps. - Highlights: ► The phosphor exhibits all the possible transitions of 'Eu', which are well resolved with high intensity from nUV to red. ► The phosphor synthesized via solid state reaction confirms nano crystallite size. ► This phosphor might be a useful candidate to act as a single host for producing white light for many display devices. ► This phosphor is having excellent tuneability of colors.