Surface modification of Ca-α-SiAlON: Eu2+ phosphor particles by SiO2 coating and fabrication of its deposit by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process

•Ca-α-SiAlON: Eu2+ phosphor powder was modified with a SiO2 coating.•Through SiO2 modification, PL emission could be significantly strengthened.•EPD technique was employed to fabricate the deposit.•Deposit exhibited a uniform surface morphology with strong adhesion to substrate. Ca-α-SiAlON: Eu2+ phosphor powder was modified with a SiO2 coating by the adsorption, hydrolysis, and polymerization of the TEOS precursor. Through the modification for the surface defects of the particles by the SiO2 coating, the photoluminescence (PL) emission could be significantly strengthened in the SiO2-coated Ca-α-SiAlON: Eu2+ powder. The electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique was employed to fabricate the deposit layer on ITO glass using the SiO2 coated phosphor powder. The prepared deposit exhibited a uniform surface morphology with strong adhesion to the substrate. The SiO2-coated Ca-α-SiAlON: Eu2+ powder indicates a potential application when used in pseudo white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) devices.