Low thermal quenching of metal halide-based metal-organic framework phosphor for light-emitting diodes

Phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (PC-WLEDs) have attracted considerable attention in solid-state lighting and display. However, urgent issues of thermal quenching and high cost remain formidable challenges. Herein, a novel metal-organic framework (MOF) phosphor [CdCl2(AD)] was facilely prepared using a mixture of CdCl2 and acridine (AD) under solvothermal conditions. It shows intensive green emission with a long lifetime of 31.88 ns and quantum yield of 65% while maintaining 95% and 84% of its initial emission intensity after remaining immersed in water for 60 days and being heated to 150 degrees C, respectively. The low thermal quenching of this MOF material is comparable to or can even exceed that of commercial inorganic phosphors. The combination of experiments and theoretical calculations reveals that the alternating arrangement of delocalized AD pi-conjugated systems and CdCl2 inorganic chains through strong coordination bonds and pi & ctdot;pi stacking interactions imparts the MOF phosphor with high thermal stability and optoelectronic performance. The successful fabrication of green and white LED devices by coating [CdCl2(AD)] and/or N630 red phosphor on a 365/460 nm commercial diode chip suggests a promising and potential alternative to commercial phosphors. A green MOF phosphor can maintain 84% of its initial emission intensity after being heated to 150 degrees C, exceeding several commercial inorganic phosphors.