Enhancing the luminescent efficiency of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ by coating graphitic carbon nitride: Toward white light-emitting diodes

Achieving highly efficient Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphor is desirable to fabricate bright white light-emitting diodes (wLED). Designing a synergistic effect of energy transfer from the guest materials to the host Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ is expected to favor the higher quantum efficiency of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphor. Here, we report a novel strategy to enhance the emission intensity and quantum efficiency of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphor by coating a thin g-C3N4 layer on the surface of Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ particles. Melamine was coated on the surface of Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ and heated at 580 °C to develop the g-C3N4 layer. The phase, microstructure, photoluminescent properties and thermal stability are investigated in detail. It is demonstrated that g-C3N4 coated Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ has been successfully achieved, which shows higher emission intensity and quantum efficiency than the uncoated sample. This is due to the strong excitation energy absorption of g-C3N4, which is then transferred to luminescent Ce3+ ions. The synergistic effect of g-C3N4 coating-host materials shows potential applications to improve the quantum efficiency of other phosphors.