A highly efficient deep red-emitting Mn4+-powered oxyfluoride nanophosphor developed for plant growth and optical thermometric applications.

Abstract

This research mainly highlighted an intense deep red-emitting and Mn4+-powered oxyfluoride nanophosphor, Mg14Ge4.99O16F8:0.01Mn4+ (MGOF:Mn), which was synthesized via adopting a scalable synthesis route for commercial temperature sensing and artificial plant growth applications. The electron microscopic analysis confirmed the formation of nanosized particles without any defined shape or size distribution. The obtained nanophosphor exhibited sharp emission peaks at 659 nm and 631 nm under UV (317 nm) and blue excitation (417 nm) owing to Mn4+:2Eg → 4A2g and Mn4+:2T1g → 4A2g transitions, respectively. The emission spectrum is situated in the deep red region of the CIE color diagram where the red color purity approached 100% under both the excitations. The absorption efficiency and the internal and external quantum efficiencies of this red-emitting system were calculated to be 53%, ∼77%, and ∼41%, respectively, under blue excitation of 417 nm, which indicated its potential for indoor plant cultivation. A prototype red LED was fabricated by pasting the red-emitting MGOF:Mn4+ nanophosphor powder on a 410 nm blue LED chip. The resulting electroluminescence spectrum overlapped with those of the important organic pigments of normal plants. Importantly, the thermometric properties of the nanophosphor were evaluated in detail for FIR and lifetime-based thermometry applications. The examined nanophosphor showed an extreme absolute sensitivity of 0.00326 K-1 at 373 K with excellent reproducibility and temperature resolution. Because of the small particle size and high luminescence efficiency, the nanophosphor could be implemented in various nano-devices where non-contact optical thermometry is necessary for high performance.