A new synthetic pathway of Sr2CeO4 phosphor and its characterization

A blue-white emitting Sr2CeO4 phosphor was synthesized via a simple sol-gel poly vinyl alcohol (PVA)-complexing process using strontium nitrate and cerium nitrate as raw materials. The samples were characterized by TG/DTA, XRD, FTIR, SEM and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The X-ray diffraction study confirms the structure of the system to be orthorhombic. The emission spectra when excited at 267 nm peaks at ∼470 nm. The emission band is assigned to the energy transfer between the molecular orbital of the ligand and charge transfer state of the Ce4+ ion. The Commission International de l'Eclairage (CIE) co-ordinates for the Sr2CeO4 sample were also calculated. - Highlights: → Sr2CeO4 was synthesized by a new pathway using PVA as chelating agent, strontium nitrate and cerium nitrate as raw materials. → XRD study confirms the structure of the system to be orthorhombic. → Effective luminescence is observed when the chelating agent to metal ion ratio is 2. → Luminescence intensity of Sr2CeO4 increased when the calcination temperature was increased from 800 to 1000 deg. C. → Sr2CeO4 prepared by sol-gel PVA route has higher luminescence intensity than Sr2CeO4 prepared by solid state route.