(Zn, Mg)2GeO4:Mn2+ submicrorods as promising green phosphors for field emission displays: hydrothermal synthesis and luminescence properties

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Abstract
(Zn1−x−yMgy)2GeO4: xMn2+ (y = 0–0.30; x = 0–0.035) phosphors with uniform submicrorod morphology were synthesized through a facile hydrothermal process. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), photoluminescence (PL), and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy were utilized to characterize the samples. SEM and TEM images indicate that Zn2GeO4:Mn2+ samples consist of submicrorods with lengths around 1–2 μm and diameters around 200–250 nm, respectively. The possible formation mechanism for Zn2GeO4 submicrorods has been presented. PL and CL spectroscopic characterizations show that pure Zn2GeO4 sample shows a blue emission due to defects, while Zn2GeO4:Mn2+ phosphors exhibit a green emission corresponding to the characteristic transition of Mn2+ (4T1→6A1) under the excitation of UV and low-voltage electron beam. Compared with Zn2GeO4:Mn2+ sample prepared by solid-state reaction, Zn2GeO4:Mn2+ phosphors obtained by hydrothermal process followed by high temperature annealing show better luminescence properties. In addition, codoping Mg2+ ions into the lattice to substitute for Zn2+ ions can enhance both the PL and CL intensity of Zn2GeO4:Mn2+ phosphors. Furthermore, Zn2GeO4:Mn2+ phosphors exhibit more saturated green emission than the commercial FEDs phosphor ZnO:Zn, and it is expected that these phosphors are promising for application in field-emission displays.

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