Eco-friendly green synthesis, structural and photoluminescent studies of CeO₂:Eu³⁺ nanophosphors using E. tirucalli plant latex

Graphical abstract: Crystal structure and CIE diagram of CeO₂:Eu³⁺ nanophosphor. - Highlights: • Eco friendly green combustion route is used for the synthesis using E-tirucalli latex. • Characteristic emission peaks of Eu³⁺ion in the range 525-725 nm are recorded. • CIE co-ordinate values located in the deep red region. • Present method is friendliness, high yield, non toxic etc. - Abstract: The investigation involves preparation and photoluminescence properties of CeO₂:Eu³⁺ (1–11 mol%) nano phosphors by eco-friendly green combustion route using Euphorbia tirucalli plant latex as fuel. The final product was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Scanning electron microcopy (SEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The PXRD and SEM results reveals cubic fluorite phase with flaky structure. The crystallite size obtained from TEM was found to be ∼20–25 nm, which was comparable to W–H plots and Scherrer's method. Photoluminescence (PL) emission of all the Eu³⁺ doped samples shows characteristic bands arising from the transitions of ⁵D₀ → ⁵F_J (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) manifolds under excitation at 373 and 467 nm excitation. The ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (613 nm) transition often dominate the emission spectra, indicating that the Eu³⁺ cations occupy a site without inversion center. The highest PL intensity was recorded for 9 mol% Eu³⁺ ions with 5 ml latex. PL quenching was observed upon further increase in Eu³⁺ concentration. The international commission on illumination (CIE) chromaticity co-ordinates were calculated from emission spectra, the values (x, y) were very close to national television system committee (NTSC) standard values of pure red emission. The results demonstrate that the synthesized phosphor material could be very useful for display applications. Further, the phosphor material prepared by this method was found to be non toxic, environmental friendly and could be a potential alternative to economical routes