Effect of BaCl₂ flux on low temperature synthesis of Ba₃Si₆O₁₂N₂:Eu phosphors from BaCN₂ and SiO₂

Abstract

Green Ba₃Si₆O₁₂N₂:Eu and Ba₃Si₆O₉N₄:Eu phosphors were synthesized below 1000 °C using Eu-doped BaCN₂ as a nitrogen and barium source in conjunction with SiO₂. The development of low-temperature synthesis methods is necessary to reduce energy consumption during the solid-state syntheses of inorganic materials. However, low-temperature reactions tend to provide oxynitride phosphors showing poor crystallinity and low photoluminescence (PL) intensity. In this study, the effect of a BaCl₂ flux on the low-temperature synthesis of Ba₃Si₆O₁₂N₂:Eu phosphors from BaCN₂ and SiO₂ was investigated. The crystallinity and phase purity of the Ba₃Si₆O₁₂N₂:Eu phosphors increased with increasing amount of BaCl₂ employed. The maximum PL intensity obtained from an oxynitride phosphor prepared with a BaCl₂ flux was almost twice that of material prepared without BaCl₂.