Photoluminescence properties of nanocrystalline La2TeO6:Eu3+ phosphor prepared by Pechini sol–gel method

La2TeO6:Eu3+ nanophosphors were prepared by Pechini sol–gel process, using lanthanide nitrates and telluric acid as precursor. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), photoluminescence spectra (PL) and fluorescence lifetime were used to characterize the resulting phosphors. The results of XRD indicate that all samples crystallized completely at 1023 K and are isostructural with the orthorhombic La2TeO6. SEM study reveals that the samples have a strong tendency to form agglomerates with an average size ranging from 50 to 80 nm. The photoluminescence intensity and chromaticity were improved for excitation at 254 and 395 nm. The optimized phosphor La1.80Eu0.10TeO6 could be considered as an efficient red-emitting phosphor for solid-state lighting devices based on GaN LEDs.