Facile synthesis of visible light excited La1-xGdxF3:Eu3+ micro-meter sphere using polyvinylpyrrolidone as a template

Lanthanide fluorides exhibited unique luminescent properties in terms of their low phonon energy can restrict the luminescence quenching and extend luminescent lifetimes.Here,a room-temperature co-precipitation method was used to synthesize europium(III) activated La1-xGdxF3 solid phosphors.X-ray diffraction(XRD) data confirmed the crystalline phases of synthesized sample belongs to orthorhombic system.All the as-derived materials exhibited red luminescence(5D0→7F1) under the excitation at longer wavelengths(394 and 466 nm).The powder with the most intense emission was achieved in terms of 10 mol.% doping concentration(Eu content,La/Gd=1/9) and sample sintered at 700 oC.Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) investigated the morphology and crystalline of the samples,showing that many regular and large balls(5-10 μmol/L) were dispersed within the micro-meter scale composites.We proved that the above crystal growth structures were controllable and predicable based on the surface functionalization by polyvinylpyrrolidone ligand.