Project WLEDMAT approved for funding

A new project APVV-17-0049 “Novel glass and glass-ceramic rare-earth aluminates-based phosphors for energy-saving solid state lighting sources emitting white light (pc-WLEDs)” (acronym WLEDMAT) has been approved for funding by the Slovak research and development agency APVV.

The project led by Dr. Robert Klement is focused on research and development of novel glass and glass-ceramic rare-earth aluminates-based luminescent materials for white light-emitting diodes (pc-WLED), especially materials with efficient red emission, which could improve CRI index compared to the known commercially produced phosphors. Phosphors will be prepared in the form of glass microbeads. The structure of undoped alumninate glasses in the system Al₂O₃-RE₂O₃ will be studied by spectroscopic methods. Thermal properties and kinetics of crystallization will be also studied. In order to preparer glass-ceramics materials with required properties, the conditions of crystallization process will be investigated and optimized. Photoluminescence properties of glass and glass-ceramic rare-earth and transition metal ions doped materials will be studied in detail. Special attention will be paid to study of relations between luminescent properties of materials and their structure and morphology. In final stage of the project, the composite PiG materials (Phosphor in Glass) will be prepared and characterized as thin plates suitable for direct application onto excitation LED chip. A LED diode emitting white light/warm white light will be contracted using the LED chip with suitable excitation wavelength in the NUV spectral range and prepared PiG composite with optimised thickness, so that optimal emission characteristic will be achieved.

The research activities of the project will be carried out jointly with the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry Slovak Academy of Sciences (IIC SAS) and Institute of Materials Research (IMR SAS) led by prof. Dušan Galusek and Dr. František Lofaj.