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Phosphors and Fluorescent Powders

Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology

Synonyms

Luminescent materials

Definition

Phosphor (fluorescent powder) is one kind of inorganic materials which absorbs the energy from electrons, photons, or even other forms of microscopic particles and converts it into visible light. Phosphor (fluorescent powder) has a history of about 100 years and today plays one of the key roles in lighting, display, and imaging. So far there are varieties of phosphors finding their applications in cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), fluorescent lamps, x-ray films, plasma display panels (PDPs), and recently developed white light-emitting diodes (w-LEDs).

The Mechanism of Luminescence

Although phosphors are available in diversity, the mechanisms of luminescence in them are similar, including the following primary items:

  • Transitions of rare-earth ions and transition metal ions

  • Crystal field splitting and nephelauxetic effect

  • Energy transfer

Transitions of Rare-Earth Ions and Transition Metal Ions

Essentially, luminescence of phosphors is a process of...

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References

  1. Yen, W.M., Hajime, Y. (eds.): Phosphor Handbook. CRC Press, Boca Raton (2012)

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  2. Xie, R.J., Li, Y.Q., Hirosaki, N., Yamamoto, H.: Nitride Phosphors and Solid-State Lighting. Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton (2011)

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  3. Carnall, W.T., Goodman, G.L., Rajnak, K., Rana, R.S.: A Systematic Analysis of the Spectra of the Lanthanides Doped into Single Crystal LaF3. J. Chem. Phys. 90, 3443 (1989)

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Engineering Research Center for Rare Earth Materials, General Research Institute for Nonferrous Metals, No.2, Xinjiekouwai Street, 100088, Beijing, China

    Weidong Zhuang & Jiyou Zhong

Authors
  1. Weidong Zhuang
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  2. Jiyou Zhong
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Weidong Zhuang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Design University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom

    Ronnier Luo

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© 2015 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Zhuang, W., Zhong, J. (2015). Phosphors and Fluorescent Powders. In: Luo, R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Color Science and Technology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_141-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_141-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27851-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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Chapter history

  1. Latest

    Phosphors and Fluorescent Powders
    Published:
    17 May 2019

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_141-2

  2. Original

    Phosphors and Fluorescent Powders
    Published:
    24 March 2015

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27851-8_141-1

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