Novel Intense Red Emitting Eu³⁺ Doped CePO₄ Nanocrystals for Solid State Lighting Applications

Novel red emitting europium doped Cerium phosphate nanocrystals were synthesized by microwave assisted sol gel method. X-ray powder diffraction analysis identified the monoclinic structure of synthesized samples. The morphology of the samples were found to beconstructed from elongated spheres and is explained with the help of TEM analysis. Intense orange red emission on excitation with Ce4+ - O2-charge transfer band is established by photoluminescence analysis. The effect of annealing on the efficiency of excitation with Ce4+ - O2-charge transfer band is demonstrated and is explained in association with the concentration of surface Ce4+. Chromaticity coordinates indicate good colour purity of the sample. All the results indicated that microwave assisted method is suitable for synthesizing red emitting CePO4:Eu phosphors and become a potential candidate for optoelectronic and biological applications.