Synthesis and VUV spectral properties of nanoscaled Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ green phosphor

Nanoscaled Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ green phosphor with regular and uniform morphology was synthesized by hydrothermal method at a low temperature of 140 °C. The structure and morphology of the phosphor was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effects of the hydrothermal temperature and the time on the crystallite structure and the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photoluminescence (PL) properties were evaluated. The as-synthesized nanoscaled Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ phosphor exhibited intensive broad emission around 523 nm, which was attributed to the 4T1→6A1 transition of Mn2+. The PL intensity increased along with the increasing hydrothermal temperature and time. The heat-treated phosphors exhibited higher PL intensity than the corresponding samples prepared using the conventional solid-state reaction.