Facile synthesis of the desired red phosphor Li2Ca2Mg2Si2N6:Eu2+ for high CRI white LEDs and plant growth LED device

The red emission with suitable peak wavelength and narrow band is acutely required for high color rendering index (CRI) white LEDs without at the cost of the luminous efficacy. Herein, the Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ red phosphor was prepared with facile solid-state method using Ca₃N₂, Mg₃N₂, Si₃N₄, Li₃N, and Eu₂O₃ as the safety raw materials under atmospheric pressure for the first time, which shows red emission peaking at 638 nm with full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 62 nm under blue light irradiation and becomes the desired red phosphor to realize the balance between luminous efficacy and high CRI in white LEDs. The morphology, structure, luminescence properties, thermal quenching behavior, and chromaticity stability of the Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ phosphor are investigated in detail. Concentration quenching occurs when the Eu²⁺ content exceeds 1.0 mol%, whereas high-temperature photoluminescent measurements show a 32% drop from the room-temperature efficiency at 423 K. In view of the excellent luminescence performances of Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ phosphor, a white LEDs with CRI of 91 as a proof-of-concept experiment was fabricated by coating the title phosphor with Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ on a blue LED chip. In addition, the potential application of the title phosphor in plant growth LED device was also demonstrated. All the results indicate that Li₂Ca₂Mg₂Si₂N₆:Eu²⁺ is a promising red-emitting phosphor for blue LED-based high CRI white LEDs and plant growth lighting sources.