Far-red-emitting YAl3(BO3)4:Cr3+ phosphors with excellent thermal stability and high luminescent yield for plant growth LEDs

Phosphors-converted LEDs (pc-LEDs) are excellent artificial light sources for indoor plant cultivation, in which the far-red-emitting component (700−780 nm) plays an important role in regulating the photomorphogenesis of plants. Accordingly, highly efficient and thermally stable far-red-emitting phosphors are indispensable for developing high-performance plant cultivation pc-LEDs. Herein, far-red-emitting YAl₃(BO₃)₄:Cr³⁺ (YAB:Cr³⁺) phosphors were synthesized by solid-state reaction, and their photoluminescence characteristics, thermal quenching, quantum yield (QY), and application in pc-LEDs were systematically investigated. The YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphor has an intense broadband absorption to the blue light, simultaneously exhibiting the sharp-line ²E emission and the broadband ⁴ T₂ emission of Cr³⁺ with a QY of ~86.7%. The far-red broadband emissions of YAB:Cr³⁺ centered at ~735 nm show a high resemblance to the active-state (P_FR) absorption of plant phytochrome. Moreover, the YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphor shows the thermally enhanced luminescence at temperatures of 303−393 K and the near-zero thermal quenching up to 423 K. The anomalous thermal enhancement is attributed to the temperature-dependent repopulation between ²E and ⁴ T₂ states. Finally, a pc-LED device was fabricated with the YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphor and blue chip, exhibiting the light out power of ~50.6 mW and energy conversion efficiency of ~17.4% at 100 mA drive current, respectively. The exceptional PL features including suitable excitation/emission wavelengths, suppressed thermal quenching and high QY make YAB:Cr³⁺ phosphors very promising for applications in plant growth pc-LEDs.     

Stable Light-Emitting Electrochemical Cells Using Hyperbranched Polymer Electrolyte

The choice of an adequate electrolyte is a fundamental aspect in polymer light-emitting electrochemical cells (PLECs) as it provides the in situ electrochemical doping and influences the performance of these devices. In this study, a hyperbranched polymer (Hybrane DEO750 8500) blended with a Li salt is used as a novel electrolyte in state-of-the-art Super Yellow (a polyphenylenevinylene) based LECs. Due to the desirable properties of the hyperbranched polymer and the homogeneous and smooth films that it forms with the emitting polymer, PLEC with excellent electroluminescent properties are obtained using a pulsed current bias scheme. The devices are very stable, with lifetimes in excess of 2000 h with initial luminance values above 450 cd m⁻², a peak efficiency of 12.6 lm W⁻¹, and sub-minute turn-on times. The stability of the devices is also studied by measuring the photoluminescence (PL) of the semiconductor during electroluminescent operation. The findings suggest that it is possible to observe the quenching of the PL in vertically stacked devices due to the advancement of the doped fronts in the film and an immediate PL recovery when the bias is removed.     

Extensive evaluation and classification of low-cost dust sensors in laboratory using a newly developed test method

An extensive evaluation of low-cost dust sensors was performed using an exponentially decaying particle concentration. A total of 264 sensors including 27 sensors with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and 237 sensors with laser lighting sources were tested. Those tested sensors were classified into 4 groups based on the deviation from the reference data obtained by a reference instrument. The response linearities of all the tested samples for PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ were in excellent agreement with the reference instrument, except a few samples. For the measurements of PM₁ and PM_2.5, the lighting source, that is, LED or laser, did not show any significant difference in overall sensor performance. However, LED-based sensors did not perform well for PM₁₀ measurements. The 32, 24, and 16% of all the tested sensors for PM₁, PM_2.5, and PM₁₀ measurement, respectively, are in the category of Class 1 (reference instrument reading ± 20%) requirement. The performance of the low-cost dust sensors for PM₁₀ measurement was relatively less satisfactory.     

基于LoRa物联网技术的智能照明控制方案在高速公路上的应用——以北京新机场高速公路(南五环-北京新机场)为例

文章结合北京新机场高速公路照明工程实例,阐述了常规照明控制系统的现状,分析了基于新兴的LoRa物联网技术智能照明控制方案的系统原理和系统构成、系统在高速公路智能照明控制领域的应用以及系统应用能达到的节能和管理效益的提升效果,并对系统的扩展应用前景做了研究分析。     

Importance of the color of light for the illumination of urban squares

The objective of this article was to establish the significance of parameters relevant for urban square illumination, particularly those related with the color of light. Performed using a questionnaire and with 154 architecture students as respondents, the survey showed that the 18 parameters can be divided into two groups. The first group of 13 parameters refers to the overall impression, influencing the basic and most important lighting aims like safety, security, orientation, visual comfort, and amenity, whereas the second group includes parameters related to lighting features which may negatively influence the overall impression. The four parameters directly linked to the color of light were evaluated lower than expected, indicating that architecture students were probably translating their attitude toward color in architecture to color of light, thus underestimating this lighting parameter. The survey results also showed that female respondents are more sensitive to parameters, which affect safety and security.     

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.     

Lighting preferences in office spaces concerning the indoor thermal environment

The accurate prediction of the visual comfort zone in an indoor environment is difficult as it depends on many parameters. This is especially the case for large compact urban areas in which the density and shadow from neighboring buildings can limit the accessible daylighting in indoor spaces. This paper investigates the satisfaction range for illuminance regarding indoor air temperature in office buildings and the significant parameters affecting this range in six office buildings in Tehran, Iran. Lighting comfort has been evaluated by a subjective survey (509 total responses) and field measurement. The questionnaires were filled out in 146 and 109 rooms in summer and winter, respectively. The results show that the illuminance should not be less than 550 lx, while illuminance between 600 and 650 lx provides the highest satisfaction level. The satisfaction with lighting level is affected by individual parameters such as age, type of activity, and environmental parameters such as window orientation, external obscurations, and season. A relationship was observed between lighting level satisfaction and thermal condition acceptance, and the overall comfort depends more on thermal conditions than the lighting level.     

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.     

Development of silicon wafer packaging technology for deep UV LED

This paper reports a deep‐ultraviolet LED (deep‐UV‐LED) package based on silicon MEMS process technology (Si‐PKG). The package consists of a cavity formed by silicon crystalline anisotropic etching, through‐silicon vias (TSVs) filled with electroplated Cu, bonding metals made of electroplated Ni/AuSn and a quartz lid for hermetic sealing. A deep‐UV LED die is directly mounted in the Si‐PKG by AuSn eutectic bonding without a submount. It has advantages in terms of size, heat dissipation, light utilization efficiency, productivity and cost over conventional AlN ceramic packages. We confirmed a light output of 30 mW and effective reflection on Si (111) cavity slopes in the Si‐PKG. Based on simulation, further improvement of the optical output is expected by optimizing DUV‐LED die mount condition.     

Gas‐phase removal of indoor volatile organic compounds and airborne microorganisms over mono‐ and bimetal‐modified (Pt,Cu, Ag) titanium(IV) oxide nanocomposites

The photocatalytic deactivation of volatile organic compounds and mold fungi using TiO₂ modified with mono‐ and bimetallic (Pt, Cu, Ag) particles is reported in this study. The mono‐ and bimetal‐modified (Pt, Cu, Ag) titanium(IV) oxide photocatalysts were prepared by chemical reduction method and characterized using XRD, XPS, DR/UV‐Vis, BET, and TEM analysis. The effect of incident light, type and content of mono‐ and bimetallic nanoparticles deposited on titanium(IV) oxide was studied. Photocatalytic activity of as‐prepared nanocomposites was examined in the gas phase using LEDs array. High photocatalytic activity of Ag/Pt‐TiO₂ and Cu/Pt‐TiO₂ in the reaction of toluene degradation resulted from improved efficiency of interfacial charge transfer process, which was consistent with the fluorescence quenching effect revealed by photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra. The photocatalytic deactivation of Penicillium chrysogenum, a pathogenic fungi present in the indoor environment, especially in a damp or water‐damaged building using mono‐ and bimetal‐modified (Pt, Cu, Ag) titanium(IV) oxide was evaluated for the first time. TiO₂ modified with mono‐ and bimetallic NPs of Ag/Pt, Cu, and Ag deposited on TiO₂ exhibited improved fungicidal activity under LEDs illumination than pure TiO₂.