The photo is sourced from catalysis.ru
A nanoluminophore is a nanomaterial that absorbs energy and transforms it into light emission in any region of the visible spectrum. White light sources can be made from red nanoluminophores, whose key characteristic is quantum yield, which determines their brightness and reflects the ratio of photons emitted and absorbed.
Synthesis of red luminophores takes place in a gas environment based on argon (an inert monatomic gas without colour, taste or smell) where micropowders of yttrium (a rare-earth metal of light-silver colour) oxide and europium (a soft rare-earth metal of silvery-white colour) ions get exposed to laser radiation. However, the commercial introduction of red luminophores is hindered by defects in the crystal lattice of the raw material, i.e., yttrium oxide: technically, its structure should contain three oxygen atoms for every two yttrium atoms, but in reality oxygen can be absent in some places. Oxygen vacancies absorb energy, thereby reducing luminescence efficiency, and emit blue light instead of red light.
The authors of the study managed to solve this problem by adding oxygen to the composition of the substances used in the synthesis of red luminophores. The quantum yield of red luminophores at an oxygen concentration of 30% reached an all-time record of 69%. This discovery could pave the way for the production of new, more efficient LEDs. “We have chosen the right components and methodology for the LED. We will soon begin assembling the LED and studying it. We need to show that our nanoluminophores work very well as a component in a real LED device,” Aleksandr Nashivochnikov, junior researcher at the Department of Heterogeneous Catalysis, is quoted as saying by the Institute of Catalysis SB RAS.
