Cold white light generation through the simultaneous emission from Ce3+, Dy3+ and Mn2+ in 90Al2O3·2CeCl3·3DyCl3·5MnCl2 thin film

► 90Al2O3·2CeCl3·3DyCl3·5MnCl2 thin film (AOCDM) could be prepared by spray pyrolysis. ► Non-radiative energy transfer from Ce3+ to Dy3+ and Mn2+ takes place in AOCDM. ► AOCDM (pumped with 278 nm-UV light) can generate 4900 K cold white light.