Synthesis and luminescence properties of Sr3MgSi2O8: Eu2+,Dy3+ by a novel silica-nanocoating method

This paper report a novel method for synthesizing long afterglow silicate phosphor Sr3MgSi2O8:EU2+, Dy3+ using TEOS and inorganic powders as reactants. Acetic acid as a catalyzer controlled the hydrolysis of TEOS by adjusting pH value of the system. The morphologies of precursor were characterized by transmission electron microscope (TEM). The structure and optical properties of the phosphor powders were systematically investigated by means of X-ray diffraction and spectrofluorometer. TEM images had reflected the core-shell structure and quasi-spherical morphology of the precursor particles. It found that the single-phase Sr3MgSi2O8 crystalline structures were obtained at 1050 and 1250 degrees C for the samples prepared with the nano-coating method and the solid-state reaction, respectively. The emission intensities were higher by the present method. Also, the afterglow characteristic was better than that prepared by solid-state reaction in the comparable condition. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.