Spectroscopic Studies of Red Emitting ZrO:Eu Nanophosphors using Judd-Ofelt Theory for Lighting Applications.

Europium doped Zirconia/Zirconia dioxide (ZrO:xEu, x = 0 to 0.11 mol) are prepared by cost effective solution combustion synthesis. Structural and morphological were studied. X-ray diffractometer (XRD) studies revealed the tetragonal phase of the nanophosphors further scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that the phosphors were irregular and agglomerated with particle size ranging between 40-70 nm. The photoluminescence emission spectra of the phosphors were studied for the excitation of 400 nm. The energy transfer phenomenon was used to study the nature of mechanism responsible for luminescence quenching. Detailed investigation of spectral intensities of the phosphors were studied using Judd-Oflet (JO) theory. The JO parameters revealed the trend that implied that field around Eu ions is asymmetric in nature. Further the JO parameters are used to study different radiative parameters that showed the branching ratio and emission cross section for transition D→F were found to be 60% and 3.342 × 10 cm respectively. These studies suggests that these phosphors are the potential candidates in the field of lighting and laser applications. In addition to this color coordinates and color purity of Eu doped ZrO revealed that the phosphors were close to NTSC recommended specifications.