Abstract
Mn4+-activated hexafluoroaluminates are promising red-emitting phosphors for white light emitting diodes (w-LEDs). Here, we report the synthesis of Na&sub3;AlF₆:Mn4+, K&sub3;AlF₆:Mn4+ and K&sub2;NaAlF₆:Mn4+ phosphors through a simple two-step co-precipitation method. Highly monodisperse large (~20 μm) smoothed-octahedron shaped crystallites are obtained for K&sub2;NaAlF₆:Mn4+. The large size, regular shape and small size distribution are favorable for application in w-LEDs. All Mn4+-doped hexafluoroaluminates show bright red Mn4+ luminescence under blue light excitation. We compare the optical properties of Na&sub3;AlF₆:Mn4+, K&sub3;AlF₆:Mn4+ and K&sub2;NaAlF₆:Mn4+ at room temperature and 4 K. The luminescence measurements reveal that multiple Mn4+ sites exist in M&sub3;AlF₆:Mn4+ (M = Na, K), which is explained by the charge compensation that is required for Mn4+ on Al3+ sites. Thermal cycling experiments show that the site distribution changes after annealing. Finally, we investigate thermal quenching and show that the luminescence quenching temperature is high, around 460-490 K, which makes these Mn4+-doped hexafluoroaluminates interesting red phosphors for w-LEDs. The new insights reported on the synthesis and optical properties of Mn4+ in the chemically and thermally stable hexafluoroaluminates can contribute to the optimization of red-emitting Mn4+ phosphors for w-LEDs.