Unless you get them direct from China, buying small quantities of precision phosphors in the US can be an "interesting" task... They get really pricy if you need less then a 55 gallon drum. Then sometimes Homeland calls and asks why you requested a sample of the material..
Evidently the nice folks at Homeland grabbed a large amount of the US cheap phosphor production post 911 and has continued to do so.
At least that is what one major vendor told me, some years ago.
A few microscopy places sell ZNS:Cu or a blue sulfide phosphor at low costs. The other colors however, unless you like the strontium based Ebay materials, can be difficult to get, especially the IR materials.
It got to the point that I downloaded the "Phosphor Handbook" , an older version with the Sylvania recipes in the front, and started making them in house when needed. There are a few that can be made at 800'C instead of 1100+ 'C from common chemicals, but you have purify the
initial ingredients very well, except for Zinc Sulfide. A few parts per million of the wrong dopant can ruin your day. The newer reactions that make a phosphor by burning two precursors are a lot easier.
When you are the sole technologist for 330 undergrads and 127 grads, and 22 profs, some times it is just easier to buy. I actually would rather make stuff like this, and spend my time soldering and machining, but time is of the essence. I literally can not walk down the halls around here without a request, or a "is it done yet?, Is it done yet, when will it be done?"
Steve
Home
Help
Search
Login
Register
