Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of Bright Blue-Emitting Ce³⁺-Based Phosphor: Application for the Construction of Warm White-Light-Emitting Diodes and Anticounterfeiting

In the present investigation, we demonstrated a simple approach for the reproducible synthesis of cerium(III)-based blue phosphor, which provides versatile applications in the construction of warm white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) and anticounterfeiting patterns. It is found that the mixture of dipicolinic acid (DPA) with Ce3+ in ethanol (DPA-Ce) emits blue fluorescence under the assistance of ultraviolet (UV) induction. The quantum yield of the DPA-Ce phosphor reaches 44% and is improved to 52% by combining with guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP). The obtained DPA-Ce-GMP emits blue fluorescence in both a solid powder and aqueous solution, having advantages of long luminescence lifetimes, ultralong stability, and outstanding antitemperature bleaching. With DPA as a universal ligand, DPA-Tb with green fluorescence and DPA-Eu with red fluorescence are integrated with the blue fluorescence of DPA-Ce-GMP to construct full-color and white-light-emitting devices. The as-prepared warm WLED with a quantum yield of 64% presents an excellent stability and high quality with a color rending index of up to 90, CIE color coordinates of (0.37, 0.36), a correlated color temperature of 3950 K, and a luminous efficiency of 37.8 lm W–1. Multiple anticounterfeiting patterns are further encoded with the as-prepared lanthanide-based phosphors. The investigation offers a simple assay for the cost-effective, large-scale synthesis of phosphors, with great promise in diverse applications including the lighting industry and anticounterfeiting technology.