Enhanced luminescence properties of BiPO4:Eu3+ phosphors prepared by hydrothermal method

BiPO4:Eu3+ phosphors with various structures and morphologies were prepared by a simple hydrothermal method. The effect of cation/anion molar ratio ([Bi3++Eu3+]/[PO43−]) on the structure, morphology and luminescence properties of BiPO4:Eu3+ was investigated. As cation/anion molar ratio varies from 1:0.5 to 1:2.5, it was observed that the BiPO4:Eu3+ phosphors change from hexagonal nanoparticles to monoclinic octahedron-like, and finally to monoclinic rod-like. The monoclinic rod-like BiPO4:Eu3+ exhibits the higher luminescence properties than that of the other two samples. Meanwhile, the CIE chromaticity coordinates of BiPO4:Eu3+ is calculated to be (0.6270, 0.3726), endowing BiPO4:Eu3+ with potential application in light emitting diodes (LEDs). Furthermore, this study provides a simple approach to control the structure and morphology of BiPO4:Eu3+.