Highly Stable Red-Emitting Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ Phosphor with a Hydrophobic Surface

One of the biggest problems in white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) is the moisture-induced degradation of phosphors. This paper proposes a simple and feasible surface modification method to solve it, whereby a hydrophobic surface layer is developed on the surface of the phosphors. The particular case of orange-red-emitting Sr2Si5N8:Eu2+ (SSN) phosphor was investigated. The mechanism to develop the hydrophobic layer involves hydrolysis and polymerization of tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The experimental results showed that the surface layer of SSN phosphor was successfully modified to a hydrophobic nanolayer (8 nm) of amorphous silicon dioxide that contains CH3 groups in the surface. This hydrophobic surface layer gives the modified phosphor superior stability in high-pressure water steam conditions at 150°C. © 2016 The American Ceramic Society