Enhanced luminescence of Sr3Si6O3N8:Eu2+ phosphors by co-doping with Ce3+

Eu2+/Ce3+ co-activated Sr3Si6O3N8 phosphor was synthesized by conventional solid-state reaction. Sr3Si6O3N8:Eu2+, Ce3+ green-emitting phosphor could be effectively excited by UV–vis light from 395 to 450 nm, which matched well with the emission of UV LED chips. The luminescence intensity of Sr3Si6O3N8:Eu2+ could be efficiently enhanced by co-doping with Ce3+. The energy transfer (ET) mechanism from Ce3+ to Eu2+ in Sr3Si6O3N8:Ce3+, Eu2+ phosphors is dominated by electric dipole–dipole interaction, and the critical distance is calculated to be about 25.44 Å by theory of energy transfer.