A Promising Orange-Red Nanocrystalline Potassium Lanthanum Orthophosphate for White Light-Emitting Diodes

Abstract

The spectral properties of the K 3 La(PO 4 ) 2 :Eu 3+ nanophosphors synthesized by the combustion method are reported. The phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and optical spectroscopy. The XRD pattern reveals a pure monoclinic phase of the K 3 La(PO 4 ) 2 with the average particle size of 30 nm in diameter. Under UV excitation, the phosphors exhibited several emission bands which were assigned to 4f-4f transitions of Eu 3+ ions. The red shade of the Eu 3+ ion with the CIE coordinates ( x , y ) as (0.63, 0.37) suggests that this material is a promising phosphor for near-UV InGaN-based LED lighting.