Preparation and characterization of flower-like SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ phosphors by sol-gel process

A flower-like Eu2+ and Dy3+ co-doped SrAl2O4 long-lasting phosphorescent (LLP) phosphor was synthesized via the inorganic- salt-based sol-gel method. The crystal structure, morphology and optical properties of the composite were characterized. X-ray diffraction diffusion (XRD) data and DSC-TG curves of the phosphor revealed that the SrAl2O4 crystallites have been formed after the precursor was calcined at 900 °C and to be single-phase SrAl2O4 at 1100 °C. The SEM photographs indicated that the sample exhibited a universal flower-like morphology with crystallite size of about 1-2 μm. After being irradiated with ultraviolet (UV) light, the flower-like phosphor emitted long-lasting green phosphorescence with an excitation peak at 365 nm and emission peak at 500 nm which was ascribed to the characteristic 5d-4f transition of Eu2+. Both the PL spectra and the luminance decay curve revealed that this phosphor exhibited efficient luminescence and long lasting properties.