Performance Changes of Surface Coated Red Phosphors with Silica Nanoparticles and Silica Nanocomposites

Abstract

To improve the photoluminescence and long-term stability of the Y2O2S:Eu3+ phosphor, surface coatings with silica nanoparticles and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA)-silica nanocomposites were performed via four different techniques. Phosphors were coated with nearly monodispersed silica nanoparticles (5 nm) by a dip-coating method and a sol-gel method (Stober method). To fabricate the silica nanopariticles used for the phosphor coating, hydrolysis and condensation reactions for the formation of silica nanoparticles, and radical polymerization for the formation of poly(1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) were performed simultaneously. Phosphors were coated with PMMA-silica nanocomposites by using two different methods: by reacting silica nanoparticles and methyl methacrylate (MMA) monomer and by reacting mixtures containing MMA and tetraethylorthosilicate. Between these methods, the latter method exhibited the greatest enhancement of photoluminescence and long-term stability of the phosphors. When phosphors were coated with PMMA-silica nanocomposite by the second method, the PL intensity Of Y2O2S:Eu3+ was enhanced approximately 5% over that of the uncoated phosphors. In contrast to a decrease in cathode luminescence (CL) intensity with increasing bombardment time for uncoated phosphor, a nearly constant CL intensity was observed for the phosphors coated with PMMA-silica nanocomposite by the latter method.