Strong white photoluminescence from annealed zeolites

The optical properties of zeolites annealed at various temperatures are investigated for the first time. The annealed zeolites exhibit strong white photoluminescence (PL) under ultraviolet light excitation. With increasing annealing temperature, the emission intensity of annealed zeolites first increases and then decreases. At the same time, the PL peak red-shifts from 495nm to 530nm, and then returns to 500nm. The strongest emission appears when the annealing temperature is 500°C. The quantum yield of the sample is measured to be ~10%. The PL lifetime monotonously increases from 223μs to 251μs with increasing annealing temperature. The origin of white PL is ascribed to oxygen vacancies formed during the annealing process. •The optical properties of zeolites annealed at various temperatures are investigated.•The annealed zeolites exhibit strong white photoluminescence.•The maximum PL enhancement reaches as large as 62 times.•The lifetime shows little dependence on annealing temperature.•The origin of white emission is ascribed to the oxygen vacancies.