Enhanced photoluminescence of spray pyrolysis processed YBO3:Eu3+ for PDP application

The Y0.94Eu0.06BO3 phosphor powders, which were annealed after synthesizing under three-heating zones, showed more spherical morphology and uniform size in comparison with the phosphors under single-heating zones. The annealed Y0.94Eu0.06BO3 phosphors were single phase with the hexagonal vaterite structure (a = 3.776 Å and c = 8.806 Å) and the space group P63/m (176). The emission spectra consisted of three strong peaks at 593, 610, and 627 nm. These peaks were caused by transitions from the excited 5D0 to 7Fj (j = 1 and 2) levels of the Eu3+ activator. The emission intensity of the Y0.94Eu0.06BO3 phosphors synthesized under a three-heating zone (800, 1000, and 800 °C) was higher than that of the commercial YBO3:Eu3+ phosphor. This demonstrates that the three-zone heating in the spray pyrolysis yielded a higher emission intensity.