Phosphorescent Aerogel Based Lighting

Aerogels are a lightweight material made up of 99% air. Unique properties of silica aerogel include its nanoporous structure, high surface area, high transparency, and low thermal conductivity. Due to the method used to make aerogels, it is relatively easy to entrap materials such as phosphors in their nanostructure. A phosphor is a material that will illuminate when exposed to radiation (light) and continue to illuminate long after exposure. Phosphorescent aerogels could be useful in luminescent applications such as LEDs. One problem with LED lights is the sedimentation of phosphor in the encapsulants, resulting in uneven phosphor distribution and low efficiency. A way to increase efficiency of an LED is to encapsulate the phosphor material in an appropriate host matrix. Aerogels are an excellent candidate for a host matrix due to their optical and porous properties. The goal of this research was to investigate if encapsulating phosphor in a silica  aerogel could improve phosphorescent lifetime and phosphor distribution. This presentation will focus on the methods used to prepare phosphorescent aerogels and the resulting materials.