Hydrothermal Synthesis of RbLn2F7 and VUV Spectroscopy of RbLn2F7:Eu3+(Ln = Gd, Y)

RbLn2F7(Ln = Gd, Y, Er, Yb and Lu), crystallized in the hexagonal RbEr2F7 structure type, is synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The excitation spectra of Eu3+-doped RbGd(Y)2F7 suggest that the oxygen content is very low in the samples obtained by hydrothermal synthesis. Only the f-f transitions of Gd3+ ions are observed in the excitation spectrum of RbGd2F7:Eu3+ (0.5mol%), while those of E3+ ions do not appear. When the Gd33+ ions are excited, the absorbed energy is transferred efficiently from Gd3+ to Eu3+. The spectra show that the doped Eu3+ ions are located in non-centrosymmetric sites in hexagonal RbLn2F7.