Improved Long-Term Reliability of a Silica-Encapsulated Perovskite Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Device with an Optically Pumped Remote Film Package.

In this study, inorganic perovskite (CsPbBr3) quantum dots are wrapped in SiO2 to provide better performance against external erosion. Long-term storage (250 days) is demonstrated with very little changes in the illumination capability of these quantum dots. While in the continuous aging procedure, different package architectures can achieve very different lifetimes. As long as 6000 h of lifetime can be expected from these quantum dots, but the blue shift of emission wavelength still needs more investigation.

Multisite-Occupancy-Driven Intense Narrow-Band Blue Emission from Sr5SiO4Cl6:Eu2+ Phosphor with Excellent Stability and Color Performance.

The development of an efficient blue phosphor with remarkable thermal stability required for high-quality white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) remains an exigent task and mainly concerned BaMgAl10O17:Eu2+ (BAM:Eu). Despite the outstanding performance of BAM:Eu, the reduction in luminescence efficiency under long-term operation results in numerous researches on new hosts having lattice rigidity with symmetrical coordination environment. Therefore, we have synthesized a competent blue-emitting Eu2+-activated Sr5SiO4Cl6 (SSC) phosphors. The admirable rigidity of these phosphors with three Sr polyhedra Sr(I)O9, Sr(II)O7, and Sr(III)O8 assessed from Rietveld refinement indicate the dense connectivity in the crystal structure, and the ab initio calculations further support the firm electronic band structure. The broad excitation from 250 to 450 nm suitably matches the absorption band of a near-UV (n-UV) LED chip. The phosphor exhibited bright blue emission with internal quantum yield and color purity > 90% which contribute to the slender fwhm of 33 nm. The first-principle calculation indicates the most stable site for Eu2+ substitution as Sr(III)O8, and the experimental results agreed with this fact as well. The synthesized phosphor displayed an excellent thermal stability which is superior to that of the commercial BAM:Eu phosphor. The excellent thermal stability may be owed to the highly symmetric coordination environment of Eu2+ in the SSC host that are revealed from the distortion and charge density distribution calculation by density functional theory. The blue phosphor was further utilized for WLEDs and displayed white light with a high color-rendering index and suitable correlated color temperature, which is ideal for practical applications in warm WLEDs.

Rapid synthesis of hybrid methylammonium lead iodide perovskite quantum dots and rich MnI2 substitution favouring Pb-free warm white LED applications.

We present a facile room temperature synthesis of CH3NH3Pb1-x Mn x I3 perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) substituting manganese (Mn2+) at the lead (Pb2+) sites to minimize environmental pollution and make it commercially feasible. By varying the concentration of Mn2+ from 0 to 60%, the PQDs exhibit strong color tunability from red to orange color suggesting successful energy transfer due to Mn2+ inclusion. We observed a high external photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) of 98% for unsubstituted CH3NH3PbI3 and >50% for up to 15% Mn2+ substituted PQDs. The average lifetime of PQDs was found to shorten with increasing Mn2+ replacement. We demonstrate a white LED prototype by employing the CH3NH3Pb1-x Mn x I3 PQDs with green QDs on a blue LED chip. The CRI and CCT value varying from 92 to 80 and 5100 K to 2900 K, respectively, indicate the usability of the Mn2+ substituted PQDs as efficient warm white LEDs with a promising CRI and good stability.

Liquid Type Nontoxic Photoluminescent Nanomaterials for High Color Quality White-Light-Emitting Diode.

High-brightness white-light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs) with excellent color quality is demonstrated by using nontoxic nanomaterials. Previously, we have reported the high color quality w-LEDs with heavy-metal phosphor and quantum dots (QDs), which may cause environmental hazards. In the present work, liquid-type white LEDs composed of nontoxic materials, named as graphene and porous silicon quantum dots are fabricated with a high color rendering index (CRI) value gain up to 95. The liquid-typed device structure possesses minimized surface temperature and 25% higher value of luminous efficiency as compare to dispensing-typed structure. Further, the as-prepared device is environment friendly and attributed to low toxicity. The low toxicity and high R9 (87) component values were conjectured to produce new or improve current methods toward bioimaging application.

La6Si4S17:Ce3+: luminescence and lighting applications of a novel green-emitting phosphor.

An efficient green-emitting La6Si4S17:Ce3+ phosphor was synthesized using a solid-state method. The phosphor exhibits a triclinic structure as the main phase. A broad green emission is observed upon excitation at 420 nm with a quantum efficiency of 83%. A white LED fabricated with the phosphor is promising for use in solid-state lighting applications.

Promising Er3+/Yb3+-Codoped GdBiW2O9 Phosphor for Temperature Sensing by Upconversion Luminescence.

Yb3+/Er3+-codoped GdBiW2O9 phosphors are prepared via the solid-state route for application in upconversion temperature sensors. The structural analyses indicate that all phosphors possess a single-phased orthorhombic structure. Upon the excitation of a laser wavelength of 980 nm, Yb3+/Er3+-codoped GdBiW2O9 phosphors emanate green emission peaks, endorsed to the emission to the 4I15/2 state from the 4S3/2 and 2H11/2 states, respectively, and the weak emission (red) from the 4F9/2 state to the 4I15/2 state of Er3+ ion. The upconversion mechanism has been elucidated via the scheme of energy levels conferred from the pump power-induced upconversion characteristics. The temperature-dependent upconversion of GdBiW2O9 phosphors was investigated in detail along with the estimation of the stability and repeatability of the measurement. The obtained sensitivity data for the present materials with the corresponding sensing parameters show their probable outlook in temperature sensing applications.

Novel Eu2+-activated thiogallate phosphors for white LED applications: structural and spectroscopic analysis.

Novel Eu2+-activated BaGa2SiS6 and Ba2Ga8SiS16 thiogallate phosphors were prepared by solid-state reaction route. The BaGa2SiS6:Eu2+ phosphor generated a green emission upon excitation at 405 nm, whereas the Ba2Ga8SiS16:xEu2+ phosphor could be tuned from cyan to green range with increasing Eu2+ concentration upon excitation at 365 nm. Additionally, the thermal luminescence properties of the thiogallate phosphors were investigated in the temperature range of 25 to 250 °C. A warm-white LED is fabricated using the combination of a 405 nm blue InGaN-based LED chip with the green-emitting BaGa2SiS6:0.01Eu2+ phosphor, and red-emitting Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ commercial phosphor with the CRI value of ∼88 and the CCT of 4213 K.

Fabrication of Flexible White Light-Emitting Diodes from Photoluminescent Polymer Materials with Excellent Color Quality.

This study developed flexible light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with warm white and neutral white light. A simple ultraviolet flip-chip sticking process was adopted for the pumping source and combined with polymer and quantum dot (QD) films technology to yield white light. The polymer-blended flexible LEDs exhibited higher luminous efficiency than the QD-blended flexible LEDs. Moreover, the polymer-blended LEDs achieved excellent color-rendering index (CRI) values (Ra = 96 and R9 = 96), with high reliability, demonstrating high suitability for special applications like accent, down, or retrofit lights in the future. In places such as a museum, kitchen, or surgery room, its high R9 and high CRI characteristics can provide high-quality services.

Synthesis and Luminescence Properties of Novel Ce(3+)- and Eu(2+)-Doped Lanthanum Bromothiosilicate La3Br(SiS4)2 Phosphors for White LEDs.

Novel Ce(3+)- and Eu(2+)-doped lanthanum bromothiosilicate La3Br(SiS4)2:Ce(3+)and La3Br(SiS4)2:Eu(2+) phosphors were prepared by solid-state reaction in an evacuated and sealed quartz glass ampule. The La3Br(SiS4)2:Ce(3+) phosphor generates a cyan emission upon excitation at 375 nm, whereas the La3Br(SiS4)2:Eu(2+) phosphor could be excited with extremely broad range from UV to blue region (300 to 600 nm) and generates a reddish-orange broadband emission centered at 640 nm. In addition, thermal luminescence properties of La3Br(SiS4)2:Ce(3+)and La3Br(SiS4)2:Eu(2+) phosphors from 20 to 200 °C were investigated. The combination of a 450 nm blue InGaN-based LED chip with the red-emitting La3Br(SiS4)2:Eu(2+) phosphor, and green-emitting BOSE:Eu(2+) commercial phosphor produced a warm-white light with the CRI value of ∼95 and the CCT of 5,120 K. Overall, these results show that the prepared phosphors may have potential applications in pc-WLED.

Resonant-enhanced full-color emission of quantum-dot-based micro LED display technology.

Colloidal quantum dots which can emit red, green, and blue colors are incorporated with a micro-LED array to demonstrate a feasible choice for future display technology. The pitch of the micro-LED array is 40 µm, which is sufficient for high-resolution screen applications. The method that was used to spray the quantum dots in such tight space is called Aerosol Jet technology which uses atomizer and gas flow control to obtain uniform and controlled narrow spots. The ultra-violet LEDs are used in the array to excite the red, green and blue quantum dots on the top surface. To increase the utilization of the UV photons, a layer of distributed Bragg reflector was laid down on the device to reflect most of the leaked UV photons back to the quantum dot layers. With this mechanism, the enhanced luminous flux is 194% (blue), 173% (green) and 183% (red) more than that of the samples without the reflector. The luminous efficacy of radiation (LER) was measured under various currents and a value of 165 lm/Watt was recorded.

Efficient hybrid white light-emitting diodes by organic-inorganic materials at different CCT from 3000K to 9000K.

The hybrid white light-emitting didoes (LED) with polyfluoren (PFO) polymer and quantum dot (QD) was investigated using dispensing method at the different correlated color temperature (CCT) for cool and warm color temperature. This result indicates that the hybrid white LED device has the higher luminous efficiency than the convention one, which could be attributed to the increased utilization rate of the UV light. Furthermore, the CIE 1931 coordinate of high quality white hybrid LED with different CCT range from 3000K to 9000K is demonstrated. Consequently, the angular-dependent CCT and the thermal issue of the hybrid white LED device were also analyzed in this study.

Novel reddish-orange-emitting BaLa2Si2S8:Eu(2+) thiosilicate phosphor for LED lighting.

A novel reddish-orange-emitting BaLa2Si2S8:Eu(2+) thiosilicate was prepared in a sealed fused silica ampule and its crystal structure was refined using Rietveld methods. The BaLa2Si2S8:Eu(2+) phosphor is excitable over a broad range from UV to blue (350-450 nm) and generated a reddish-orange broadband emission peaking at 645 nm with a quantum efficiency of ∼24%. The thermal luminescence quenching of BaLa2Si2S8:Eu(2+) was investigated over the range 25 to 150 °C. This phosphor was utilized to incorporate with two commercially available phosphors, blue BaMgAl10O17:Eu(2+) and green (Ba,Sr)2SiO4:Eu(2+), and a near-UV LED chip (405 nm), a white light with Ra of ∼94 was obtained.

White light emitting diodes with enhanced CCT uniformity and luminous flux using ZrO2 nanoparticles.

To enhance the uniformity of correlated color temperature (CCT) and luminous flux, we integrated ZrO2 nanoparticles into white light-emitting diodes. This novel packaging scheme led to a more than 12% increase in luminous flux as compared to that in conventional dispensing structures. This was attributed to the scattering effect of ZrO2 nanoparticles, which enhanced the utilization of blue light. Moreover, the CCT deviation was reduced from 522 to 7 K in a range of -70 to +70°, and essentially eliminated the yellow ring phenomenon. The haze measurement indicated strong scattering across the visible spectrum in the presence of ZrO2 in the silicone layer, and this finding also substantiates our claim. In addition, the chromaticity coordinate shift was steady in the ZrO2 dispensing package structure as the drive current increased, which is crucial for indoor lighting. Combined with its low cost, easy fabrication, and superior optical characteristics, ZrO2 nanoparticles can be an effective performance enhancer for the future generation of white light-emitting devices.

New Ce3+-activated thiosilicate phosphor for LED lighting-synthesis, luminescence studies, and applications.

A new Ce(3+)-activated thiosilicate phosphor, BaLa2Si2S8:Ce(3+), was synthesized by using solid-state methods in a fused silica ampule and found to crystallize in the structure type of La2PbSi2S8. The crystal structure has been characterized by synchrotron X-ray diffraction and refined with Rietveld methods. This novel cyan-emitting phosphor can be excited over a broad range from UV to blue light (380-450 nm) and generates a broadband emission peaking at 471 nm with a quantum efficiency of 36%. Nonradiative transitions between Ce(3+) ions in BaLa2Si2S8:Ce(3+) have also been demonstrated to be attributable to dipole-dipole interactions, and the critical distance was calculated to be 17.41 Å. When BaLa2Si2S8:Ce(3+) phosphor was utilized to incorporate with yellow-emitting (Sr,Ca)2SiO4:Eu(2+) phosphor and red-emitting CaAlSiN3:Eu(2+) phosphor on a 430 nm blue LED chip, a warm white light LED device with color rendering index of ∼96 was obtained. The results indicate that cyan-emitting BaLa2Si2S8:Ce(3+) can serve as a potential phosphor for incorporation in fabrication of solid-state lighting. The preparation, spectroscopic characterization, quantum efficiency, decay lifetime, thermal-quenching behavior, and related LED device data are also presented.

Ligand-functionalization of BPEI-coated YVO4:Bi3+,Eu3+ nanophosphors for tumor-cell-targeted imaging applications.

In this study, surface-functionalized, branched polyethylenimine (BPEI)-modified YVO4:Bi(3+),Eu(3+) nanocrystals (NCs) were successfully synthesized by a simple, rapid, solvent-free hydrothermal method. The BPEI-coated YVO4:Bi(3+),Eu(3+) NCs with high crystallinity show broad-band excitation in the λ=250 to 400 nm near-ultraviolet (NUV) region and exhibit a sharp-line emission band centered at λ=619 nm under excitation at λ=350 nm. The surface amino groups contributed by the capping agent, BPEI, not only improve the dispersibility and water/buffer stability of the BPEI-coated YVO4:Bi(3+),Eu(3+) NCs, but also provide a capability for specifically targeted biomolecule conjugation. Folic acid (FA) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were further attached to the BPEI-coated YVO4:Bi(3+),Eu(3+) NCs and exhibited effective positioning of fluorescent NCs toward the targeted folate receptor overexpressed in HeLa cells or EGFR overexpressed in A431 cells with low cytotoxicity. These results demonstrate that the ligand-functionalized, BPEI-coated YVO4:Bi(3+),Eu(3+) NCs show great potential as a new-generation biological luminescent bioprobe for bioimaging applications. Moreover, the unique luminescence properties of BPEI-coated YVO4:Bi(3+),Eu(3+) NCs show potential to combine with a UVA photosensitizing drug to produce both detective and therapeutic effects for human skin cancer therapy.

Enhanced light harvesting with a reflective luminescent down-shifting layer for dye-sensitized solar cells.

For a dye-sensitized solar cell with a near-infrared squaraine (SQ1) sensitizer, the photovoltaic performance was enhanced remarkably with a reflective luminescent down-shifting (R-LDS) layer to increase the light-harvesting efficiency at the wavelength region 400-550 nm where the SQ1 dye has weak absorption. Relative enhancements greater than 200% in IPCE near 500 nm and 40-54% in JSC were achieved with red phosphor CaAlSiN3:Eu(2+) as the LDS material, attaining 5.0 and 4.8% overall efficiencies of power conversion for the R-LDS layer coated on the counter electrode (front illumination) and working electrode (back illumination), respectively.

Eu(2+)-activated Sr8ZnSc(PO4)7: a novel near-ultraviolet converting yellow-emitting phosphor for white light-emitting diodes.

The crystal structure of Eu(2+)-activated Sr(8)ZnSc(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+) phosphor was refined and determined from XRD profiles by the Rietveld refinement method using a synchrotron light source. This phosphor crystallizes in the monoclinic structure with the I2/a space group. The SZSP:xEu(2+) phosphors showed a broad yellow emission band centered at 511 and 571 nm depending on the concentration of Eu(2+), and the composition-optimized concentration of Eu(2+) in the Sr(8)ZnSc(PO(4))(7):Eu(2+) phosphor was determined to be 2 mol %. The estimated crystal-field splitting and CIE chromaticity coordinates of Sr(8)ZnSc(PO(4))(7):xEu(2+) (x = 0.001-0.05 mol) were 20181-20983 cm(-1) and (0.3835, 0.5074) to (0.4221, 0.5012), respectively, and the emission band showed a redshift from 547 to 571 nm with increasing Eu(2+) concentration. The nonradiative transitions between the Eu(2+) ions in the Sr(8)ZnSc(PO(4))(7) host were attributable to dipole-dipole interactions, and the critical distance was approximately 19.8 Å. The combination of a 400 nm NUV chip with a blend of Sr(8)ZnSc(PO(4))(7):0.02Eu(2+) and BAM:Eu(2+) phosphors (light converters) gave high color rendering indices between 79.38 and 92.88, correlated color temperatures between 4325 and 7937 K, and tuned CIE chromaticity coordinates in the range (0.381, 0.435) to (0.294, 0.310), respectively, depending on the SZSP:0.02Eu(2+)/BAM:Eu(2+) weight ratio. These results suggest that the Sr(8)ZnSc(PO(4))(7):0.02Eu(2+)/BAM:Eu(2+) phosphor blend has potential applications in white NUV LEDs.

Preparation of high-performance water-soluble quantum dots for biorecognition through fluorescence resonance energy transfer.

An improved method for the synthesis of high-performance and water-soluble quantum dots (QDs) involving the encapsulation of mercaptosuccinic acid coated QDs (MSA-QDs) with poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) followed by their direct photoactivation with fluorescent radiation near 295 K to yield PDDA-coated QDs (PDDA-QDs) has been demonstrated. The quantum yield (QY) of the PDDA-QDs was significantly improved from 0.6 (QY of MSA-QDs) to 48%. By using this synthetic strategy, highly photoluminescent PDDA-QDs of varied size were readily prepared. The surface properties of PDDA-QDs and MSA-QDs were extensively characterized. The highly luminescent and positively charged PDDA-QDs serve as a useful and convenient tool for protein adsorption. With a Δ(5)-3-ketosteroid isomerase adsorbed PDDA-QD complex, the biorecognition of steroids was demonstrated through the application of fluorescent resonance energy transfer.

Host sensitization of Tb3+ ions in tribarium lanthanide borates Ba3Ln (BO3)3 (Ln = Lu and Gd).

The vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) spectroscopic properties of undoped and Tb(3+)-doped borates Ba(3)Ln(BO(3))(3) (Ln = Lu and Gd) with different crystal structures were investigated by using synchrotron radiation. Ba(3)Lu(BO(3))(3) (BLB) crystallizes in a hexagonal structure, whereas Ba(3)Gd(BO(3))(3) (BGB) crystallizes in a trigonal structure. The maximum host absorption for BLB and BGB was found to locate at ~179 and ~195 nm, respectively. Upon host excitation, BLB exhibits an intrinsic broad UV emission centered at 339 nm, which is attributed to the recombination of self-trapped excitons that may presumably be associated with band-gap excitations or molecular transitions within the BO(3)(3-) group. In contrast to BLB, no broad emission but line emission ascribed to a Gd(3+)(6)P(J)-(8)S(7/2) transition was observed in the emission spectrum of BGB. Upon doping of Tb(3+) ions into the hosts of BLB and BGB, an efficient energy transfer from the host excitations to Tb(3+) via host/Gd(3+) emission was observed, showing that host sensitization of Tb(3+) occurs in these rare-earth borates.

A novel tunable green- to yellow-emitting ß-YFS:Ce³+ phosphor for solid-state lighting.

A Ce(3+)-activated fluorosulfide phosphor (ß-YFS:Ce(3+)) was synthesized by solid-state reaction in a sealed tube. The crystal structure has been refined from the XRD profiles and there are two different crystallographic rare earth sites, namely, Y(1) and Y(2), where the Ce(3+) ions occupied. The emission band with a maximum at 495 nm of ß-Y(0.99)Ce(0.01)FS phosphor was characterized by the 4f-5d transitions of Ce(3+) ion. With increasing Ce(3+) concentration, the emission variations were observed from 495 to 547 nm. When ß-YFS:Ce(3+) phosphors were utilized to incorporate with n-UV/blue chip, greenish-white light with color rendering index of 65-77 were obtained. The results indicate that the tunable green- to yellow-emitting ß-YFS:Ce(3+) can serve as a potential phosphor for incorporation in fabrication for solid-state lighting. The preparation, spectroscopic characterization, quantum efficiency, thermal-quenching behavior, and related LED device data are also presented.