Nanophosphor Coatings: Technology and Applications, Opportunities and Challenges

The particle size of conventional commercial phosphor powders used in lighting and displays is in the range from several micrometers to tens of micrometers and it is known that submicrometer-sized phosphors can facilitate a decrease in their consumption and improved resolution of phosphor screens. When the particle size becomes comparable to wavelengths of light, the optical properties of phosphor powders undergo remarkable qualitative changes so that the luminescence performance of nanophosphor screens, along with a very pronounced influence of the particle size, becomes dependent on several additional parameters such as packing density of nanoparticles, refractive index and chemical composition of the medium between them. This brings about both advantages and disadvantages which are discussed in this review of recent literature on the synthesis, deposition, and applications of nanophosphors.