ABSTRACT
Semiconductor assisted photocatalysis is one of the most efficient methods for the degradation of complex organic dyes. A major limiting factor of semiconductor assisted photocatalysis is the requirement of a continuous source of light to perform a redox reaction. One of the upcoming solutions is photon energy-storing long afterglow/persistent phosphors. They are an unusual kind of rechargeable, photon energy capturing/trapping phosphors that can trap charge carriers (electrons/holes) in their meta-stable energy levels, thereby resulting in persistent luminescence. Persistence luminescence from such materials can range from minutes to hours. The coupling of long afterglow phosphors (LAP) with the conventional semiconductor is a promising way to support the photocatalytic process even in dark. In addition, dissimilar band structures of LAPs and semiconductor results in formation of heterojunction which further suppresses the recombination of charge. Such an encouraging idea of LAP for round-the-clock working photocatalytic system is in its premature stage; which is required to be investigated fully. Thus, we present a state-of-art review on the potential materials for assisting round-the-clock photocatalysis, trapping-detrapping mechanism in LAP materials, fabrication strategies and their associated characterization tools. Review also covers LAP materials and their photocatalytic mechanism briefly.
ABSTRACT
Red emitting (~612 nm) CaTiO3:Pr3+ long afterglow nanocrystals with a persistence time ~20 min (dark adapted human eyes) have been synthesised for developing high contrast latent fingerprints using the sol-gel process. Due to the persistent emission, CaTiO3:Pr3+ nanophosphor does not require a continuous source for excitation, thereby eliminating the background information even from multi-colour substrates, resulting in a high signal to noise ratio. As a consequence of which, minute features of level- I, II and III can be clearly studied in high contrast fingerprints. Considerable blue shift (~20 nm) was recorded in photoluminescence excitation due to the quantum confinement properties of CaTiO3:Pr3+ nanocrystals. Powder x-ray diffraction confirms the formation of a single phase orthorhombic structure of CaTiO3:Pr3+ with average crystallite size ~40 nm. Spectral parameters indicate a very high color purity of 99% with CIE coordinates (0.62, 0.37) which are very close to NTSC standards for an ideal red-emission. Transmission electron microscopy studies confirm the formation of spherical particles with narrow size distribution which makes them suitable to combine with fingerprint development methods such as powder dusting and cyanoacrylate fuming methods.
