Highly efficient and thermally stable cyan-emitting ZnS/ZnO phosphors for full-visible-spectrum LED lighting†

Near-ultraviolet (NUV)-pumped white light-emitting-diodes (WLEDs) often suffer from poor color rendering in the 480–520 nm range, highlighting the need for an efficient cyan phosphor with strong absorption at 370–420 nm. This study presents the successful synthesis of cyan-emitting ZnS/ZnO phosphors using a high-energy planetary ball milling method followed by post-annealing. The fabricated phosphors, with particle sizes ranging from 1 to 3 μm, exhibit strong cyan emission with CIE chromaticity coordinates of (0.2302, 0.3759) and excellent thermal stability with an activation energy of 0.26 eV. A prototype near-ultraviolet (NUV)-pumped cyan LED was developed, achieving chromatic coordinates of (0.2769, 0.4380) and a quantum efficiency of 77% by coating an NUV chip at 370 nm with the synthesized phosphor. These results demonstrate the potential of ZnS/ZnO-based materials as efficient, non-toxic alternatives to rare-earth phosphors, paving the way for advancements in full-spectrum white LEDs for solid-state lighting.