Spherical porous ZnAl2O4:Eu3+ phosphors: PEG-assisted hydrothermal growth and photoluminescence

Spherical porous Eu3+-doped ZnAl2O4 phosphors have been prepared by post-annealing the sample at 800 °C for 3 h, which was firstly obtained via a simple PEG-assisted hydrothermal route. The as-prepared ZnAl2O4:Eu3+ phosphors were well characterized by means of XRPD, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, N2 adsorption and desorption and PL techniques. The experimental results reveal that the amount of PEG 2000 in solution plays the crucial role in the formation of spherical porous ZnAl2O4:Eu3+ phosphors. The N2 adsorption and desorption data reveal the mesoporous property of ZnAl2O4:Eu3+ phosphors, having the high surface area of 40.02 m2 g−1. The photoluminescent excitation and emission spectra illustrate the red-emitting property of ZnAl2O4:Eu3+ phosphors owing to the characteristic transitions of Eu3+ from 5D0 → 7Fj (j = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4).