Structural characterization and optical properties of long-lasting CaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+ phosphors synthesized by microwave-assisted chemical co-precipitation

The present paper reported the structural and luminescent properties of Eu2+ and Nd3+ doped CaAl2O4 phosphor. The samples were prepared by microwave-assisted chemical co-precipitation (MA-CCP), a synthesis technique which is suitable for small and uniform particle that could be used directly without grinding. The effects of different microwave temperatures on structure and photoluminescence behavior were studied. Formation of a phosphor and phase purity were confirmed by X-ray diffraction technique (XRD) with variable microwave temperatures. XRD analysis showed that the phosphors prepared by MA-CCP method at the temperature of 750, 900 degrees C, respectively and solid-state reaction (SSR) method at 1300 degrees C consisted of impurities. Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) color coordinates of CaAl2O4: Eu2+, Nd3+ were suitable as blue light emitting phosphor. Excitation and emission peaks of the samples prepared by different methods in this study were almost the same. The images of SEM showed that the size of the phosphors prepared by MA-CCP method reached a submicrometer.