Dy3+ activated LaCoO3 perovskite oxides: a potential material for white light applications
摘要
The LaCoO3 perovskite oxides doped with Dy3⁺ ions with nominal compositions of La1−x DyₓCoO3 (x = 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1.0 mol%) were successfully synthesized via the sol–gel method to examine their potential use as single-phase white light-emitting phosphors. No secondary phases were found, even at higher concentrations of Dy3⁺ ions. The X-ray diffraction structural analysis revealed the presence of a single rhombohedral perovskite phase with space group R-3c. The crystallite size was found to decrease from 60 to 49 nm as the Dy3⁺ ion concentration increased, suggesting lattice strain due to the mismatch in the ionic radii of La3⁺ and Dy3⁺ ions. The FTIR spectra further supported the presence of the perovskite lattice structure through characteristic metal–oxygen vibrational modes. The EDS mapping results confirmed the uniform distribution of Dy ions in the LaCoO3 host matrix, and FESEM analysis indicated enhanced microstructural uniformity and grain size reduction with the incorporation of Dy3⁺ ions. It is also suitable for UV-based stimulation, as the UV–Visible absorption spectra indicated enhanced near-UV absorption around 350 nm. The photoluminescence analysis indicated prominent Dy3⁺ emission peaks in the blue (~ 480 nm) and yellow (~ 577 nm) regions, corresponding to the 4F9/2 → 6H15/2 and 4F9/2 → 6H13/2 transitions, resulting in near-white light emission. With warm-white chromaticity coordinates (0.334, 0.332), a high CRI (~ 93), and an appropriate associated color temperature (~ 5390 K), the 0.5 mol% Dy3⁺ doped sample showed the best luminescence properties. These findings render Dy3⁺ doped LaCoO3 a potential candidate for solid-state lighting and white-light phosphor materials.