Green EuAlO3:Eu2+ nanophosphor for applications in WLEDs

• Green nanophosphor based on EuAlO3:Eu2+ compound excited with near UV light.
• Pressure assisted combustion synthesis and rapid reduced treatment in pure hydrogen to obtain the green nanophosphor.
• Luminance of 285 Cd/m2 when the green nanophosphor is excited with 396 nm (8.0 μW) UV commercial LED light.

Green-emitting aluminate nanophosphors fabricated by a pressure-assisted combustion synthesis (P0 = 1.4, 2.8 and 3.4 MPa) and annealed in pure H2 is reported. The XRD analysis indicates the formation of the EuAlO3 orthorhombic phase. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) shows coalesced irregular grains with lengths in the range of 35–140 nm. In addition, the nanophosphor synthesized at an initial pressure of 3.4 MPa produced the highest green luminescence centered at 530 nm, which was associated to 4f7–4f65d1 allowed transitions of the Eu2+ located into the EuAlO3:Eu2+ compound. A weak red emission peak corresponding to Eu3+ was also observed by cathodoluminescence. The CIE coordinates for green emission are x = 0.2613 and y = 0.3892, and the luminance produced from nanophosphors when they are excited with a commercial UV-396 nm LED (8.0 μW) was 285 ± 4.3 Cd/m2.