A Novel Method for the Synthesis of Sr_2CeO_4 Blue Nano-Phosphor and Its Characterization

Nanoparticles of the blue phosphor Sr_2CeO_4 were synthesized using a novel method. An oxido reduction took place between a mixture of nitrate salts of strontium and cerium with oxalic acid giving place to the formation of a precursor that will be heat treated at 850 °C to lead to the formation of the desired strontium cerate. The precursor was characterized by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), The as prepared blue phosphor powder was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett– Teller technique (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and its luminescent properties were investigated. The nanosized nature of the particles was confirmed. The nano-phosphor exhibits an intense blue emission at 466 nm when excited with a 325 nm radiation.