A Red-Emitting Cu(I)–Halide Cluster Phosphor with Near-Unity Photoluminescence Efficiency for High-Power wLED Applications

Solid-state lighting technology, where light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used for energy conversion from electricity to light, is considered a next-generation lighting technology. One of the significant challenges in the field is the synthesis of high-efficiency phosphors for designing phosphor-converted white LEDs under high flux operating currents. Here, we reported the synthesis, structure, and photophysical properties of a tetranuclear Cu(I)–halide cluster phosphor, [bppmCu(2)I(2)](2) (bppm = bisdiphenylphosphinemethane), for the fabrication of high-performance white LEDs. The PL investigations demonstrated that the red emission exhibits a near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield at room temperature and unusual spectral broadening with increasing temperature in the crystalline state. Considering the excellent photophysical properties, the crystalline sample of [bppmCu(2)I(2)](2) was successfully applied for the fabrication of phosphor-converted white LEDs. The prototype white LED device exhibited a continuous rise in brightness in the range of a high bias current (100–1000 mA) with CRI as high as 84 and CCT of 5828 K, implying great potential for high-quality white LEDs.