[A novel red phosphor (La3PO7:Eu3+) prepared by solid state method].

Novel red phosphor, Eu3+ -doped oxyphosphate (La3 PO7:Eu3+), was synthesized by a solid state method under high temperature. All the starting materials were analytical grade. La2O3, EuO3 and (NH4)2HPO4 weighed in appropriated molar ratios and ground in an agate mortar. Then the powder was treated under 1000 degrees C. The crystal phase of La3PO7:Eu3+ was investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) using a Cu target radiation resource (lamda = 1.54078 ?) and exhibited prominent peaks accordant with JCPDS standard card (33-0720) of La3PO7 in monoclinic phase. Emission and excitation spectra of La3PO7:Eu3+ were recorded at room temperature using a fluorescence spectrometer (Hitachi F-4500). Under 254 nm excitation, intense red fluorescence was observed from La3PO7:Eu3+, which was assigned to the (5)D0-->(7)F2 transition of Eu3+ ions. The intensity of the (5)D0-->(7)F2 transition is stronger than that of the (5)D0-->(7)F1 transition, showing that the Eu3+ ions were in the non-centrosym-metric sites in La3PO7. The CommissionIn-ternational DeL" Eclairage (CIE) coordinate of La3PO7:Eu3+ is (0.63,0.37) in the red area of CIE1931 XY chromaticity coordinate graph and close to that of Y2o3:Eu3+, but the cost of La3PO7 host is lower. This novel material may have potential applications in plasma display panels and Hg-free fluorescent lamps in the future.