Nanosized strontium aluminate phosphors prepared via a reverse microemulsion route

Nanosized strontium aluminate phosphors co-activated by Eu2+ and Dy3+ were prepared via a novel reverse microemulsion process. This new synthesis technique lowered the synthesis temperature of SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphors to as low as 900 °C, and also reduced the particle size to the nanometer scale (around 40 nm). In the microemulsion process, the constituent cations were trapped by numerous nano-scaled micelles, leading to a shortening of the inter-diffusion length and enhancement of the precursor reactivity. The excitation intensity and emission peaks of nanosized SrAl2O4: Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphors significantly increased with increasing heating temperatures.