Nano-sized Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles prepared by spray pyrolysis

Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles with nano-sized and non-aggregation characteristics were prepared by spray pyrolysis using spraying solution containing polymeric precursors and Li2CO3 flux material. The post-treated phosphor particles with fine size and high brightness were ball milled to reduce the aggregation degree of the nano-sized Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles. The mean particle size, morphology, and brightness of Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles were strongly affected by contents of the additives and post-treatment temperature. The Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles prepared from the solution containing 0.3 M citric acid, 0.3 M ethylene glycol and 5 wt.% Li2CO3 had fine size and good morphology after post-treatment. The Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles post-treated at 1000 °C for 3 h had the mean size of 300 nm. Nano-sized Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles prepared by spray pyrolysis had similar photoluminescence intensity to the micron-sized Y2O3:Eu commercial product prepared by solid state reaction method. The Y2O3:Eu phosphor particles had aggregation-free and regular morphology characteristics even after 30 min ball milling process.