Facile Combustion Route for Low-Temperature Preparation of Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ Phosphor and Its Photoluminescence Properties

Uniform and nanosized phosphors of Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ were successfully synthesized by a simple, inexpensive, and relatively low-temperature synthesis route using the combustion method. Through the chemical reaction of Sr(NO3)2, Eu(NO3)3, and fumed silica, the pure phase of nanosized Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ was obtained by sintering at 800 °C for 3 min. The crystallinity and morphology of the as-synthesized Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The particle size of the Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ powders was distributed in a range of 30–50 nm. Furthermore, their photoluminescence and luminescence decay properties were also systemically discussed and compared with those of Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ phosphor prepared by a conventional high-temperature solid-state reaction method. The luminescence decay curves indicated that the distribution of Eu2+ ions in the nanosized Sr2SiO4 powders was in a nearly homogeneous average local environment.