A new europium(III)-β-diketonate complex based on diphenylethyne as red phosphors applied in LED

► A new europium(III)-β-diketonate complex was synthesized and characterized. ► Thermal stability and photophysical properties were investigated in detail. ► PL mechanism was proposed to involve a ligand-sensitized luminescence process. ► An intense red-emitting LED was fabricated by using the complex. ► CIE chromaticity coordinate is close to NTSC standard value for red color.