GdPxV1-xO4:Eu3+ Nanophosphor and Hydrated Zn-3(PO4)(2):Eu3+ Nanorod Bunch: Facile Reproducible Hydrothermal Synthesis, Controlled Microstructure, and Photoluminescence

In this paper, Eu3+-doped GdPxV1-xO4 (x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, 0.9) and Zn-3(PO4)(2) nanophosphors were synthesized with hydrothermal technology. The products present interesting and regular morphologies under the mild conditions. For GdPxV1-xO4:Eu3+, they have the similar tetragonal phase and their morphologies vary with the content ratio of P to V. For Zn-3(PO4)(2):Eu3+, it shows the nanorod bunches with the orthorhombic phase. Furthermore, the luminescence behavior (spectra, lifetimes and quantum efficiencies) of Eu3+ has been investigated in these two kinds of matrices. In GdPxV1-xO4:Eu3+ the D-5(0)-F-7(2) emissions of Eu3+ were the strongest, indicating that the Eu3+ site is without inversion symmetry, while in Zn-3(PO4)(2):Eu3+, the D-5(0)-F-7(1) emissions of Eu 3+ was predominant due to the inversion symmetry of the Eu 3+ site. The host compositions with different molar ratio of P to V have great influence on the luminescent performance. Among GdPxV1-xO4:Eu3+, the intensity of red emission for Eu3+ in GdP0.5V0.5O4 is the strongest. Due to the higher Z/r value [ratio of charge (Z) to ionic radius (r)] of P, the substitution of PO43- for VO43- decreases the covalent interactions of O2--Eu3+ as well as the red to orange intensity ratio of Eu3+.