pH-stimuli-responsive phosphors with controllable morphology and size by a facile low-temperature synthesis method

Abstract The pH-stimuli-responsive luminescent nanoparticles are promising for a wide range of applications because of responsive luminescence and excellent optical properties. Here we show a facile low-temperature synthesis of green-emitting Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ (ZSM) nanoparticles with regular shape, uniform size and good luminescent performance. The microstructure and micromorphology of ZSM are characterized by XRD and SEM. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra are collected and analyzed, which further demonstrated the successful doping of Mn2+ into the Zn2SiO4 lattice. In addition, we also study the possible mechanism by which the prepared ZSM have pH-stimulated responsive luminescence. The pH-stimuli-responsive luminescence also gives the ZSM the ability to encrypt information in a more secure manner and prevents information leakage.