Novel Eu-activated CaGaGeO red-emitting phosphors with high quantum efficiency for plant growth lighting and white LEDs.

In recent years, rare-earth-based phosphors for near-ultraviolet (NUV)-triggered white light emitting diodes (w-LEDs) have become a research hotspot. However, it is still not possible to obtain phosphors with high quantum yield, excellent color purity and multiple applications. Hence, a series of novel Eu-activated CaGaGeO (CGG) red-emitting phosphors with high quantum efficiency, excellent color purity and good thermal stability were prepared by a high-temperature solid-phase method. All the CGG:Eu phosphors emitted dazzling red emission with excitation at 394 nm. The optimal Eu doping concentration of compounds was 12% with an excellent color purity of 97.89%, and the concentration quenching mechanism was investigated as dipole-dipole interactions. Meanwhile, the synthetic samples exhibited good thermal stability with the activation energy of 0.26 eV. Remarkably, the internal quantum yield of the prepared phosphors reaches 94.26%. Furthermore, the emission spectra of the prepared red-LEDs overlap considerably with the absorption spectra of P and P required for plant growth. The w-LED device emits warm white light with a high color rendering index of 91.64 and an appropriate correlated color temperature of 4808 K. These excellent luminescence properties indicate that the prepared CGG:Eu phosphors exhibit extensive potential for applications in plant growth lighting and white LEDs.