A new synthetic pathway of Sr2CeO4 phosphor and its characterization

► Sr2CeO4 was synthesized by a new pathway using PVA as chelating agent, strontium nitrate and cerium nitrate as raw materials. ► XRD study confirms the structure of the system to be orthorhombic. ► Effective luminescence is observed when the chelating agent to metal ion ratio is 2. ► Luminescence intensity of Sr2CeO4 increased when the calcination temperature was increased from 800 to 1000 °C. ► Sr2CeO4 prepared by sol-gel PVA route has higher luminescence intensity than Sr2CeO4 prepared by solid state route.