LED light-induced enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution on Au@TiO2 core–shell modified by nitrogen doping and reduced graphene oxide

This study focused on the large band gap of TiO₂ for its use as a photocatalyst under light emitting diode (LED) light irradiation. The photocatalytic activities of core–shell structured Au@TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs), nitrogen doped Au@TiO₂ NPs, and Au@TiO₂/rGO nanocomposites (NCs) were investigated under various light intensities and sacrificial reagents. All the materials showed better photocatalytic activity under white LED light irradiation than under blue LED light. The N-doped core–shell structured Au@TiO₂ NPs (Au@N–TiO₂) and Au@TiO₂/rGO NCs showed enhanced photocatalytic activity with an average H₂ evolution rate of 9205 μmol h^?1g^?1 and 9815 μmol h^?1g^?1, respectively. All these materials showed an increasing rate of hydrogen evolution with increasing light intensity and catalyst loading. In addition, methanol was more suitable as a sacrificial reagent than lactic acid. The rate of hydrogen evolution increased with increasing methanol concentration up to 25% in DI water and decreased at higher concentrations. Overall, Au@TiO₂ core–shell-based nanocomposites can be used as an improved photocatalyst in photocatalytic hydrogen production.     

Enhanced luminescence and energy transfer performance of double perovskite structure Gd2MgTiO6:Bi3+, Mn4+ phosphor for indoor plant growth LED lighting

Deep-red light emitting phosphors are widely used in LEDs for indoor plant growth because of the critical role played by red light in plant growth. The luminescence properties of deep-red phosphors are still not well understood at present. An energy transfer strategy is a common and effective method to improve luminescence properties. In principle, the energy transfer process may occur when the sensitizer's emission spectra overlap with the activator's excitation spectra. In this work, Bi³⁺ and Mn⁴⁺ were incorporated into the matrix of Gd₂MgTiO₆ as sensitisers and activators, respectively. Mn⁴⁺ ions tend to occupy the [TiO₆] octahedral site and the Bi³⁺ ions are expected to substituted in the site of Gd³⁺. The energy transfer process from Bi³⁺ to Mn⁴⁺ was realised and the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of Mn⁴⁺ increased with the doping content of Bi³⁺. Upon excitation at 375 nm, the PL intensity of Mn⁴⁺ increased to 116.4% when the doping concentration of Bi³⁺ reached 0.3%. Finally, the pc-LED devices were prepared by a Gd₂MgTiO₆:Bi³⁺, Mn⁴⁺ phosphor. The high red luminescence indicated that this phosphor has potential applications in indoor LED lighting.     

Improved quantum efficiency of Sr(Al,Si)5(O,N)7:Ce3+ by selection of Ce raw material

The luminescence properties of yellow-emitting Ce³⁺-doped Sr-containing sialon phosphor Sr(Al,Si)₅(O,N)₇:Ce³⁺ were notably improved by the Ce raw material selection. By changing the Ce raw material from oxides to nitrides or chlorides, the emission wavelength shifted to above 560 nm, which is beneficial for higher color rendering index white light-emitting diodes. This result from an increase in the covalency of the host crystal being associated with a decrease in the oxygen content. When Ce chloride was used, both the absorption and internal quantum efficiency increased, resulting in an increase in the external quantum efficiency up to 65%–72%. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, and electron spin resonance measurements showed that the reason for the absorption increase is an increase in Ce³⁺ content and suppression of the generation of the second phase, and the reason for the increase in the internal quantum efficiency is a decrease in the host crystal absorption via suppression of anion vacancy generation. It was found that Ce chloride not only suppresses oxygen impurities but also acts as a flux that results in improved crystallinity.     

Strong f-f excitation in titanium silicate: Near-UV LED pumped red phosphors with outstanding temperature sensitivity

Optical thermometry and white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are the research hotspots for Eu³⁺ doped phosphors. In this study, a series of Sr₂TiSi₂O₈: Eu³⁺ red phosphors were developed in a solid-state reaction method. The luminescent properties of the Sr₂TiSi₂O₈: Eu³⁺ phosphor illustrate that Sr₂TiSi₂O₈: Eu³⁺ is effectively excited by the NUV LED chip and emit an intense red light with a peak of 618 nm due to the noninversion symmetry coordination of Eu³⁺ in Sr₂TiSi₂O₈. The local coordination environment of Eu³⁺ was investigated in detail using crystallographic data, spectroscopic data and Judd–Ofelt parameters. In addition, the emission intensity of Sr₂TiSi₂O₈:Eu³⁺ is extremely sensitive to temperature. The relative sensitivity of Sr₂TiSi₂O₈:Eu³⁺ is 1.1% k^-1@300 k, which is comparable to other Eu³⁺-activated temperature sensing materials. The possible mechanism of the temperature sensitive quenching characteristics was proposed. The results indicate that Sr₂TiSi₂O₈:Eu³⁺ is a potential temperature sensing material.     

Optimization of three-dimensional boiling enhancement structure at evaporation surface for high power light emitting diode

A theoretical model of phase change heat sink was established in terms of thermal resistance network. The influence of different parameters on the thermal resistance was analyzed and the crucial impact factors were determined. Subsequently, the forming methods including ploughing–extrusion and stamping method of boiling enhancement structure at evaporation surface were investigated, upon which three-dimensional microgroove structure was fabricated to improve the efficiency of evaporation. Moreover, the crucial parameters related to the fabrication of miniaturized phase change heat sink were optimized. The heat transfer performance of the heat sink was tested. Results show that the developed phase change heat sink has excellent heat transfer performance and is suitable for high power LED applications.     

不同LED光质对绿叶生菜生长的影响

选用半结球生菜和散叶生菜两种绿叶生菜为试材,在其他生长条件相同的情况下,设置3个红蓝光配比,分别为R∶B=4∶1、R∶B=3∶1、R∶B=1∶1,探究不同LED光质对绿叶生菜生长的影响。结果表明:半结球生菜在株高、横径、叶片数、单株鲜重、地上部鲜重方面均随着红光的增多呈上升趋势,并在R∶B=4∶1下达到最大,而地下部鲜重和根冠比在R∶B=1∶1下达到最大;散叶生菜的株高、横径、叶片数、单株鲜重和地上部鲜重均在R∶B=3∶1下达到最大。结论:在本试验设置的3种光配比中,R∶B=4∶1最有利于半结球生菜的生长,R∶B=3∶1最有利于散叶生菜的生长。     

Synthesis,energy transfer mechanism,and tunable emissions of novel Na3La(VO4)2:Re3+ (Re3+ = Dy3+, Eu3+, and Sm3+) vanadate phosphors for near-UV-excited white LEDs

In this study, novel Eu³⁺-, Dy³⁺-, and Sm³⁺-activated Na₃La(VO₄)₂ phosphors were synthesized using a solid state reaction method. X-ray diffraction analysis results indicated that the Na₃La(VO₄)₂ phosphors had an orthorhombic crystal structure with the Pbc21 space group. There were two different La(1)O₈ and La(2)O₈ polyhedra with high asymmetry in the crystal structure. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the product had a sheet morphology with an irregular particle size. Further, the luminescence properties, including the excitation and emission spectra, and luminescence decay curve, were investigated using a fluorescence spectrometer. The results showed that the Na₃La(VO₄)₂ compound was an excellent host for activating the luminescence of Eu³⁺ (614 nm), Dy³⁺ (575 nm), and Sm³⁺ (647 nm) ions. Further, Dy³⁺/Eu³⁺ co-doped Na₃La(VO₄)₂ phosphors were exploited, and the energy transfer from Dy³⁺ to Eu³⁺ was demonstrated in detail by the photoluminescence excitation, photoluminescence spectra, and luminescent decay curves. The results showed that the energy transfer efficiency from Dy³⁺ to Eu³⁺ was highly efficient, and the energy transfer mechanism was dipole–dipole interactions. Finally, tunable emissions from the yellow region of CIE (0.3925, 0.4243) to the red region of CIE (0.6345, 0.3354) could be realized by rationally controlling the Dy³⁺/Eu³⁺ concentration ratio. These phosphors may be promising materials for the development of solid-state lighting and display systems.     

Optoelectronic sensor device for monitoring the maceration of red wine: Design issues and validation

Enologists usually rely on spectrophotometers to perform the chromatic characterization of red wines. This work reports an optoelectronic instrument based on absorbance measurements aiming not only at the assessment of the chromatic characteristics of finished red wines, but at the supervision of the gradual maceration of fermenting grape musts as well. Maceration is a chemical process that takes place during the early stages of the fermentation that finally results in red wine. It is through maceration that wine acquires its distinctive chromatic features. Key issues related to the selection of optoelectronic components, the system design and its final validation using diluted wine samples are thoroughly discussed. Resolution figures lie in the range of one thousandth of an absorbance unit. Maceration has been successfully monitored with the proposed instrument using grape must samples extracted during the first three days from two different fermentations.     

Boost converter with adaptive reference tracking control for dimmable white LED drivers

An LED driver consisting of dimmable current regulators and a boost converter with adaptive reference tracking control (ARTC) is proposed. The ARTC is realized with only one integrator and one subtractor to detect the voltage variation among the current regulators and then to generate an adaptive reference tracking voltage. Based on the reference tracking voltage, the driving voltage of the boost converter is dynamically adjusted, so as to not only maintain a minimum voltage on the current regulator but also keep the required LED-string current. A prototype control circuit including ARTC and PWM control fabricated with TSMC 0.35-μm 2P4M CMOS process validates the proposed technique. The measurement results show that the driving voltage of the boost converter is automatically regulated to compensate for the voltage alteration on the current regulators. Furthermore, the overall efficiency of the LED driver with ARTC is 6.1% better than that of the LED driver without ARTC.     

Structure analysis,tuning photoluminescence and enhancing thermal stability on Mn4+-doped La2-xYxMgTiO6 red phosphor for agricultural lighting

Currently, phosphor-converted LEDs (pc-LEDs) are revolutionizing the industry of plant growth lighting. To meet the requirements of this technology, phosphors with tunable photoluminescence, high thermal stability and luminous intensity are required. Herein, we found that the simple substitution of yttrium for lanthanum in La₂MgTiO₆:Mn⁴⁺ (LMT:Mn⁴⁺) system could satisfy above three criteria simultaneously. The photoluminescence properties can be regulated by continuously controlling the chemical composition of La_2-xY_xMgTiO₆:Mn⁴⁺ solid solution. The La sites are occupied by Y ions, causing a significant blue shift in the emission spectra which owing to the change of local crystal field strengthen. Meanwhile, the thermal stability and decay lifetimes are also varied due to the variation of local structure and band gap energy. The thermal stability of the material reaches 83.5% at 150 °C, which is better than the reported La₂MgTiO₆:Mn⁴⁺ and Y₂MgTiO₆:Mn⁴⁺ phosphors. The electronic luminescence (EL) of pc-LED devices using La_2-xY_xMgTiO₆:Mn⁴⁺ red phosphor is evaluated, which matching the absorption regions of plant pigments well, reflecting the superiority of the studied phosphors in plant growth lighting areas.