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Research Article

Directly imaging of the atomic structure of luminescent centers in CaYAlO4:Ce3+

Yalong Zhai1,§, Xuewei Yang1,§, Shu-Na Zhao4, Pei Liu3( ), Jun Lin2( ), Yang Zhang1( )
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Center of Advanced Analysis & Gene Sequencing, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China
State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Resource Utilization, Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130022, China
DTU Nanolab. Technical University of Denmark, Fysikvej, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Green Catalysis Center and College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China

§ Yalong Zhai and Xuewei Yang contributed equally to this work.

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Graphical Abstract

The local atomic structure of light emission center Ce3+ in CaYAlO4 was systematically studied. The microscopic results prove substantial microstructural and compositional inhomogeneities.

Abstract

Lanthanides (Ln3+) doped luminescent materials play critical roles in lighting and display techniques. While increasing experimental and theoretical research have been carried out on aluminate-based phosphors for white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) over the past decades, most investigation was mainly focused on their luminescent properties; therefore, the local structure of the light emission center remains unclear. Especially, doping-induced local composition and structure modification around the luminescent centers have yet to be unveiled. In this study, we use advanced electron microscopy techniques including electron diffraction (ED), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM), in combination with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), to reveal atomically resolved crystalline and chemical structure of Ce3+ doped CaYAlO4. The microscopic results prove substantial microstructural and compositional inhomogeneities in Ce3+ doped CaYAlO4, especially the appearance of Ce dopant clustering and Ce3+/Ce4+ valence variation. Our research provides a new understanding the structure of Ln3+ doped luminescent materials and will facilitate the materials design for next-generation WLEDs luminescent materials.

Keywords

luminescentwhite light-emitting diodes (WLEDs)rare earth elementatomic structurechemical structure

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Nano Research
Volume 16 Issue 2,
February 2023
Pages 3004-3009
DOI: 10.1007/s12274-022-4881-8
Cite this article:
Zhai Y, Yang X, Zhao S-N, et al. Directly imaging of the atomic structure of luminescent centers in CaYAlO4:Ce3+. Nano Research, 2023, 16(2): 3004-3009. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-022-4881-8
Topics:
High resolution transmission electron microscopy

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Received: 07 June 2022
Revised: 19 July 2022
Accepted: 07 August 2022
Published: 21 September 2022
© Tsinghua University Press 2022
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