Urea production via photocatalytic coupling of mixed gases (CO2/NH3) using Mo(MnO4)5 supported on Ce-BTC as nano-composite catalyst

Urea used in fertilization and feed supplement, as well as a starting material for the manufacture of plastics and drugs. Urea is most commonly produced by reacting carbon dioxide with ammonia at high temperature. Photocatalysis has gained attention as a sustainable pathway for performing urea. This work focus on designing very active photocatalysts based on cerium organic framework (Ce-BTC) doped with metal oxide nanoparticles (molybdenum permanganate, Mo(MnO4)5) for production of urea from coupling of ammonia with carbon dioxide. The prepared materials were characterized using different spectral analysis and the morphology was analysed using microscopic data. The effect of catalyst loading on the production rate of urea was investigated and the obtained results showed speed rate of urea production with high production yield at low temperature. The recyclability tests confirmed the sustainability of the prepared photocatlysts (Mo(MnO4)5@Ce-BTC) which supported the beneficial of the photocatalysis process in urea production.

A brief review of characteristic luminescence properties of Eu3+ in mixed-anion compounds

Trivalent europium (Eu3+) ions show red luminescence with sharp spectral lines owing to the intraconfigurational 4f-4f transitions. Because of their characteristic luminescence properties, various Eu3+-doped inorganic compounds have been developed to meet the demands of optoelectronic devices. Regardless of shielding by the outer 5s and 5p orbitals, the properties of the Eu3+:4f-4f transition depend on the local environment, such as the shapes of the coordination polyhedra, site symmetry, nephelauxetic effects, crystal field effects, and bonding character. Mixed-anion coordination, where multiple types of anions surround a single Eu3+ ion, can directly affect the optical properties of Eu3+. We review the luminescence properties of Eu3+ ions in mixed-anion compounds of the oxynitride YSiO2N and oxyhalides YOX (X = Cl or Br). Oxynitride and oxyhalide coordination results in characteristic transition probabilities and branching ratios of the 5D0 → 7F0-6 transitions due to distorted structural environments and red-shifted charge transfer excitation bands due to an upward shift of the valence band. The expected and experimentally observed features of Eu3+ luminescence in mixed-anion compounds are outlined based on band and Judd-Ofelt theories. Future applications of the intense red luminescence at ∼620 nm under near-ultraviolet light illumination in Eu3+-doped mixed-anion compounds are introduced, and material design guidelines for new functional Eu3+-doped phosphors are presented.

Fungal biorecovery of cerium as oxalate and carbonate biominerals

Cerium is the most sought-after rare earth element (REE) for application in high-tech electronic devices and versatile nanomaterials. In this research, biomass-free spent culture media of Aspergillus niger and Neurospora crassa containing precipitant ligands (oxalate, carbonate) were investigated for their potential application in biorecovery of Ce from solution. Precipitation occurred after Ce3+ was mixed with biomass-free spent culture media and >99% Ce was recovered from media of both organisms. SEM showed that biogenic crystals with distinctive morphologies were formed in the biomass-free spent medium of A. niger. Irregularly-shaped nanoparticles with varying sizes ranging from 0.5 to 2 μm and amorphous biominerals were formed after mixing the carbonate-laden N. crassa supernatant, resulting from ureolysis of supplied urea, with Ce3+. Both biominerals contained Ce as the sole metal, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analyses identified the biominerals resulting from the biomass-free A. niger and N. crassa spent media as cerium oxalate decahydrate [Ce2(C2O4)3·10H2O] and cerium carbonate [Ce2(CO3)3·8H2O], respectively. Thermal decomposition experiments showed that the biogenic Ce oxalates and carbonates could be subsequently transformed into ceria (CeO2). FTIR confirmed that both amorphous and nanoscale Ce carbonates contained carbonate (CO32-) groups. FTIR-multivariate analysis could classify the biominerals into three groups according to different Ce concentrations and showed that Ce carbonate biominerals of higher purity were produced when precipitated at higher Ce3+ concentrations. This work provides new understanding of fungal biotransformations of soluble REE species and their biorecovery using biomass-free fungal culture systems and indicates the potential of using recovered REE as precursors for the biosynthesis of novel nanomaterials.

Electronic Structure Calculation of Cr3+ and Fe3+ in Phosphor Host Materials Based on Relaxed Structures by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

The electronic structures of the luminescent center ions Cr3+ and Fe3+ in the deep red phosphors LiAl5O8:Cr3+, α-Al2O3:Cr3+, and γ-LiAlO2:Fe3+ were calculated by the DV-Xα method, in which the local distortion induced by the replacement of Al3+ sites in the host crystals by the luminescent center ions was reproduced by classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The MD simulations based on classical dynamics allowed for the handling of more than 1000 atoms for the lattice relaxation calculations, which was advantageous to simulate situations in which a small number of foreign atoms (ions) were dispersed in the host lattice as in phosphors, even when typical periodic boundary conditions were applied. The relaxed lattices obtained after MD indicated that the coordination polyhedra around Cr3+ and Fe3+ expanded in accordance with the size difference between the luminescent center ions and Al3+ in the host crystals. The overall profiles of the partial density of states (p-DOSs) of the isolated Cr3+ and Fe3+ 3d orbitals were not significantly affected by the lattice relaxation, whereas the widths of the energy splitting of the 3d orbitals were reduced. The electronic structure calculations for Fe–Fe pairs in γ-LiAlO2 showed that the antiferromagnetic interactions with antiparallel electron spins between the Fe3+ ions were preferred, especially when the Fe–Fe pair was on the first-nearest neighboring cation sites.

Deep-red to near-infrared luminescence from Eu2+-trapped exciton states in YSiO2N

The valence state of Eu ions doped in inorganic compounds is easily influenced by the synthesizing conditions. In this study, X-ray absorption spectroscopy revealed that almost half of Eu ions incorporated in the YSiO₂N host were reduced into the divalent state through the sintering process at 1600 °C under a N₂ gas atmosphere without any annealing processes. The prepared Eu^2+/3+-doped YSiO₂N sample showed anomalous deep-red to near-infrared luminescence below 300 K under violet light illumination, whose luminescent properties are discussed through detailed spectroscopic analyses. In the photoluminescence spectra at 4 K, the broad luminescence band ranging from 550 to 1100 nm with a large Stokes shift of 5677 cm^-1 was observed, assigned to the recombination emission related to the Eu²⁺-trapped exciton state. The temperature dependence of luminescence lifetime suggests that the thermal quenching of Eu²⁺-trapped exciton luminescence takes place through complicated processes in addition to thermal ionization. The energy diagrams based on the spectroscopic results indicate that Eu²⁺-trapped exciton luminescence in the YSiO₂N:Eu^2+/3+ sample was observed because all the Eu²⁺: 5d excited levels are degenerated with the host conduction band, and the relatively stable Eu²⁺-trapped exciton state in the Y³⁺ sites is formed just below the conduction band bottom. A comprehensive discussion on the deep-red to near-infrared luminescence in the YSiO₂N host could give new insights into the mechanism of Eu²⁺-trapped exciton luminescence in Y³⁺ sites, which has potential in near-infrared emitting devices.

Solubilization of struvite and biorecovery of cerium by Aspergillus niger

Cerium has many modern applications such as in renewable energies and the biosynthesis of nanomaterials. In this research, natural struvite was solubilized by Aspergillus niger and the biomass-free struvite leachate was investigated for its ability to recover cerium. It was shown that struvite was completed solubilized following 2 weeks of fungal growth, which released inorganic phosphate (Pi) from the mineral by the production of oxalic acid. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that crystals with distinctive morphologies were formed in the natural struvite leachate after mixing with Ce3+. Energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDXA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the formation of cerium phosphate hydrate [Ce(PO4)·H2O] at lower Ce concentrations and a mixture of phosphate and cerium oxalate decahydrate [Ce2(C2O4)3·10H2O] at higher Ce concentrations. The formation of these biogenic Ce minerals leads to the removal of > 99% Ce from solution. Thermal decomposition experiments showed that the biogenic Ce phosphates could be transformed into a mixture of CePO4 and CeO2 (cerianite) after heat treatment at 1000 °C. These results provide a new perspective of the fungal biotransformation of soluble REE species using struvite leachate, and also indicate the potential of using the recovered REE as biomaterial precursors with possible applications in the biosynthesis of novel nanomaterials, elemental recycling and biorecovery. KEY POINTS: • Cerium was recovered using a struvite leachate produced by A. niger. • Oxalic acid played a major role in struvite solubilization and Ce phosphate biorecovery. • Resulting nanoscale mineral products could serve as a precursor for Ce oxide synthesis.

Ultrasmall Downconverting Nanoparticle for Enhanced Cerenkov Imaging

Cerenkov imaging provides an opportunity to expand the application of approved radiotracers and therapeutic agents by utilizing them for optical approaches, which opens new avenues for nuclear imaging. The dominating Cerenkov radiation is in the UV/blue region, where it is readily absorbed by human tissue, reducing its utility in vivo. To solve this problem, we propose a strategy to shift Cerenkov light to the more penetrative red-light region through the use of a fluorescent down-conversion technique, based upon europium oxide nanoparticles. We synthesized square-shape ultrasmall Eu₂O₃ nanoparticles, functionalized with polyethylene glycol and chelate-free radiolabeled for intravenous injection into mice to visualize the lymph node and tumor. By adding trimethylamine N-oxide during the synthesis, we significantly increased the brightness of the particle and synthesized the (to-date) smallest radiolabeled europium-based nanoparticle. These features allow for the exploration of Eu₂O₃ nanoparticles as a preclinical cancer diagnosis platform with multimodal imaging capability.

Electronic structure, thermodynamic stability and high-temperature sensing properties of Er-α-SiAlON ceramics

α-SiAlON ceramics have been in use as engineering ceramics in the most arduous industrial environments such as molten metal handling, cutting tools, gas turbine engines, extrusion molds, thermocouple sheaths, protective cover for high-temperature sensors, etc., owing to their outstanding mechanical, thermal and chemical stability. Taking advantage of the intrinsic properties of α-SiAlONs, we investigate, in this paper, the possibility of using the Er-doped α-SiAlON (Er-α-SiAlON) ceramic as a high-temperature sensing material via its unique near-infrared to visible upconversion property. We first use neutron diffraction and density functional theory calculations to study the electronic structure and thermodynamic stability of Er-α-SiAlON. It is found that the interstitial doping of Er stabilizes the α-SiAlON structure via chemical bonds with O-atoms with N:O ratio of 5:2 in the seven-fold coordination sites of the Er3+ ion. Temperature-dependent upconversion emissions are then studied under 980 and 793 nm excitations over a temperature range of 298-1373 K and the fluorescence intensity ratio (FIR) technique has been employed to investigate the temperature sensing behavior. Temperature-dependent Raman behavior is also investigated. We demonstrate that using Er-α-SiAlON as a sensing material, the limit of temperature measurement via the FIR technique can be pushed well beyond 1200 K.

SrAl2-xLi2+xO2+2xN2-2x:Eu2+ (0.12 ≤ x ≤ 0.66)-Tunable Luminescence in an Oxonitride Phosphor

Starting from the recently published narrow band red phosphor SALON, a tunable oxonitride-phosphor can be derived by introducing disorder into the structure. To achieve this, the oxygen content of the reaction mixture is increased, thereby prohibiting the oxygen/nitrogen ordering observed in SALON. The resulting compound is isotypic to UCr₄C₄ and exhibits mixed oxygen/nitrogen and lithium/aluminum sites. Further variation of the oxygen/nitrogen ratio revealed that the structure remains stable over a wide range of compositions. The compound can therefore be described by the general sum formula SrAl_2-xLi_2+xO_2+2xN_2-2x with x ranging between 0.12 and 0.66. When doped with Eu²⁺, the title compound exhibits an intense luminescence upon excitation with blue light. The maximum of this emission varies depending on the oxygen content and can be tuned to values between 581 nm (x = 0.66) and 672 nm (x = 0.12).

Down-Conversion Nitride Materials for Solid State Lighting: Recent Advances and Perspectives

Advances in solid state white lighting technologies witness the explosive development of phosphor materials (down-conversion luminescent materials). A large amount of evidence has demonstrated the revolutionary role of the emerging nitride phosphors in producing superior white light-emitting diodes for lighting and display applications. The structural and compositional versatility together with the unique local coordination environments enable nitride materials to have compelling luminescent properties such as abundant emission colors, controllable photoluminescence spectra, high conversion efficiency, and small thermal quenching/degradation. Here, we summarize the state-of-art progress on this novel family of luminescent materials and discuss the topics of materials discovery, crystal chemistry, structure-related luminescence, temperature-dependent luminescence, and spectral tailoring. We also overview different types of nitride phosphors and their applications in solid state lighting, including general illumination, backlighting, and laser-driven lighting. Finally, the challenges and outlooks in this type of promising down-conversion materials are highlighted.

Two Ce3+ centers induced broadband emission in Y3Si6N11:Ce3+ yellow phosphor

A Ce2 emission center was found in Y₃Si₆N₁₁:Ce³⁺ and the broad emission band was successfully decomposed into Ce1 and Ce2.

Ca-α-SiAlON:Eu Phosphors: Oxidation States, Energy Transfer, and Emission Enhancement by Incorporation-Aimed Surface Engineering

Ca-α-SiAlON:Eu is one of the most promising phosphors exhibiting potential applications in high power LEDs owing to its excellent thermal stability and relatively high luminescence efficiency comparable to YAG:Ce commercial phosphors. The oxidation states of Eu ions in Ca-α-SiAlON:Eu are still questionable, and furthermore it exhibits lower luminescence intensity than commercial yellow phosphors. Therefore, in the present work, the valences of Eu ions in Ca-α-SiAlON have been examined, from which a mixture of divalence and trivalence is observed. Further improvement in emission intensity involves finding a way to increase the incorporation of larger Eu ions into the Ca-α-SiAlON. Here, we observed preferred doping of Eu around phosphor grain surface and then propose a surface engineering strategy involving HF pickling of glassy surface layer, formation of Eu-rich precursors, and finally post-annealing, aiming to increase surface incorporation of Eu ions. The surface engineered samples exhibit great enhancement in emission intensity with a maximum increment by 80%.

Mechanisms of Energy Transfer and Enhanced Stability of Carbidonitride Phosphors for Solid-State Lighting

Phosphor-converted light emitting diodes (pcLEDs) produce white light through the use of phosphors that convert blue light emitted from the LED chip into green and red wavelengths. Understanding the mechanisms of degradation of the emission spectra and quantum yields of the phosphors used in pcLEDs is of critical importance to fully realize the potential of solid-state lighting as an energy efficient technology. Toward this end, time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to identify the mechanistic origins of enhanced stability and luminescence efficiency that can be obtained from a series of carbidonitride red phosphors with varying degrees of substitutional carbon. The increasing substitution of carbon and oxygen in nitrogen positions of the carbidonitride phosphor (Sr₂Si₅N_8-[(4x/3)+z]C_xO_3z/2:Eu²⁺) systematically changed the dimensions of the crystalline lattice. These structural changes caused a red shift and broadening of the emission spectra of the phosphors due to faster energy transfer from higher to lower energy emission sites. Surprisingly, in spite of broadening of the emission spectra, the quantum yield was maintained or increased with carbon substitution. Aging phosphors with lowered carbon content under conditions that accurately reflected thermal and optical stresses found in functioning pcLED packages led to spectral changes that were dependent on substitutional carbon content. Importantly, phosphors that contained optimal amounts of carbon and oxygen possessed luminescence spectra and quantum yields that did not undergo changes associated with aging and therefore provided a more stable color point for superior control of the emission properties of pcLED packages. These findings provide insights to guide continued development of phosphors for efficient and stable solid-state lighting materials and devices.

Co-doping effect of Mn2+ on fluorescence thermostability of Ca-α-sialon:Eu2+ phosphors

To reveal Mn²⁺ influence on emission of Ca-α-sialon:Eu²⁺, the Mn²⁺ and Eu²⁺ co-doped phosphors were synthesized by a solid state reaction method. The produced powders show an enhanced fluorescence thermostability and the roles of Mn²⁺ addition have been investigated.

Multiple doping structures of the rare-earth atoms in β-SiAlON:Ce phosphors and their effects on luminescence properties

The critical doping structures of rare-earth atoms in the promising β-SiAlON phosphors have long been argued owing to the lack of direct evidence. Here, the exact locations and coordination of the Ce rare-earth atoms in the β-SiAlON structure have been examined using an atom-resolved Cs-corrected scanning transmission electron microscope. Three different occupation sites for the Ce atoms have been directly observed: two of them are in the structural channel coordinated with six and nine N(O) atoms, respectively; the other one is the unexpected substitution site for Si(Al). The chemical valences and stabilities of the doping Ce ions at the different occupation sites have been evaluated using density functional calculations. Correlation of the different doping structures with the luminescence properties has been investigated by the aid of cathodoluminescence (CL) microanalysis, which verifies the different contribution of the interstitial trivalent Ce ions to the light emission while no luminescence is observed for the substitutional doping of quadrivalent Ce.

Synthesis and luminescence properties of a novel red-emitting LiSr4(BN2)3:Eu2+phosphor

A near-UV excited phosphor, LiSr₄(BN₂)₃:Eu²⁺(LSBN:Eu²⁺), was synthesized using a solid-state reaction at 800 °C.

Double substitution induced tunable photoluminescence in the Sr2Si5N8:Eu phosphor lattice

The incorporation of La³⁺–Al³⁺ ion pairs into Sr_1.95Eu_0.05Si₅N₈ leads to an additional emission band with maximum at about 760 nm.

Fast and continuous processing of a new sub-micronic lanthanide-based metal–organic framework

One phase – two processes – two magnitudes for synthesis time and the particle size.

Local analysis of Eu2+ emission in CaAlSiN3

We have investigated the local luminescence properties of Eu-doped CaAlSiN3 by using low-energy electron beam (e-beam) techniques. The particles yield broad emission centered at 655 nm with a shoulder at higher wavelength under light excitation, and a broad band around 643 nm with a tail at 540 nm under e-beam excitation. Using cathodoluminescence (CL) in a scanning electron microscope (SEM), we have observed small and large particles, which, although with different compositions, exhibit Eu2+-related emissions at 645 and 635 nm, respectively. Local CL measurements reveal that the Eu2+ emission may actually consist of several bands. In addition to the red broad band, regularly spaced sharp peaks have been occasionally observed. These luminescence variations may originate from a variation in the composition inside CaAlSiN3.

Color rendition engineering of phosphor-converted light-emitting diodes

We present an approach to the optimization of the trichromatic spectral power distributions (SPDs) of phosphor-converted (p-c) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in respect of each of four different color rendition properties (high color fidelity, color saturating, color dulling, and color preference). The approach is based on selecting a model family of Eu²⁺ phosphors and finding the optimal peak wavelengths of the phosphor bands as functions of the luminous efficacy of radiation. A blue component due to either phosphor photoluminescence or InGaN electroluminescence with the peak wavelength at about 460 nm was found to be an optimal one for the high-fidelity, color-dulling, and color-preference LEDs. The high-fidelity and color-preference LEDs need red phosphors with the peak wavelength of 610-615 nm. The high-fidelity LEDs were shown to require a true green (~530 nm) phosphor component, whereas a cyan (~510 nm) component is the prerequisite of the color-saturating and color-preference LEDs. Deep-blue (~445 nm) and deep-red (~625 nm) components are required for the color-saturating LEDs. A broad yellow band similar to that of Ce(3+) emission is to be used in the color-dulling LEDs. The SPDs of practical phosphor blends for the high-fidelity, color-saturating, and color-preference p-c LEDs are demonstrated.

Appropriate green phosphor of SrSi2O2N2:Eu2+,Mn2+ for AC LEDs

An AC (alternating current) LED exhibited the advantages of a low drive current, low static electricity, lack of a need for a rectifier, and high extraction efficiency. The input operating voltage of an AC LED is around 80V, and its operating frequency is 120 Hz or less. When the voltage is converted, a time gap of 1/120 s (10 ms), called dead time, is generated. This time gap is closely related to the scintillation phenomenon. Therefore, AC LEDs that have a phosphor composition, whose half-life composition can compensate for dead time that is generated during the voltage conversion, are sought to solve the problem of scintillation. The object of this work is to provide a phosphor SrSi(2)O(2)N(2):Eu(2+),Mn(2+) for AC LEDs, in which the dead time that is generated during the voltage conversion is compensated for by the half-life of the phosphor.