Luminescence Properties of GdP1-xVxO4:Eu3+ Phosphors

Red emitting GdP1-xVxO4:Eu3+ (x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75) powder phosphors were prepared by using a solid state reaction method. The doping concentration of Eu3+ ions was 3 mol.%. The microstructure and the surface morphology of the GdP1-xVxO4:Eu3+ powder phosphors with different compositions were analyzed by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), respectively. Both the XRD and the FE-SEM results indicated that the particles present in a good crystalline state had grain sizes in the range of similar to 100 nm. The characteristic emissions of Eu3+ due to D-5(0)-F-7(1) (orange) and D-5(0)-F-7(2) (red) transitions were detected. Furthermore, in the system of GdP1-xVxO4:Eu3+, the orange-to-red intensity ratio (O/R) depended greatly on the ratio of P/V. The crystallinity and the surface morphology of the powders also highly depended on the molar ratio P/V. The highest emission intensity was observed with the GdP0.5V0.5O4:Eu3+ powder whose brightness was increased by a factor of 40 times in comparison with that of GdPO4:Eu3+ powders. This phosphor holds promise for applications to flat panel displays.