Vacuum ultraviolet excited photoluminescence properties of Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+ phosphor

The Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+ with type-II structure phosphor was successfully synthesized via flux method at 400 °C and their photoluminescence properties in vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region were examined. The broad and strong excitation bands in the range of 153–205 nm owing to the CO32– host absorption and charge transfer (CT) of Gd3+-O2– were observed for Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+. Under 172 nm excitation, Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+ exhibited strong red emission with good color purity, indicating Eu3+ ions located at low symmetry sites and the chromaticity coordination of luminescence for Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+ was (x=0.652, y=0.345). The photoluminescence quenching concentration of Eu3+ excited by 172 nm for Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+ was about 5%. Gd2O2CO3:Eu3+ would be a potential VUV-excited red phosphor applied in mercury-free fluorescent lamps.