In situ co-precipitation synthesis and photoluminescence of YxGd1−xVO4:Tm3+ microcrystalline phosphors by hybrid precursors

YxGd1−xVO4:Tm3+ (5 mol%) phosphors were prepared by in situ co-precipitation technology with the different content ratio of Y/Gd (x = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.8, respectively). During the process, rare earth coordination polymers with o-hydroxylbenzoate were used as precursors, composing with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as dispersing media. After heat-treatment of the resulting multicomponent hybrid precursors at 900 °C, the samples were obtained. SEM indicated the particles present good crystalline state, whose crystalline grain sizes were about 0.2–2 μm. Under the excitation of 257 nm, all the materials show the characteristic emission of Tm3+ which is the strong blue emission centered at 475 nm originating from 1G4 → 3H6 of Tm3+. Besides this, concentration quenching appears in the system of YVO4:Tm3+ and GdVO4:Tm3+. And when x reaches 0.5, the system of YxGd1−xVO4:Tm3+ shows the strongest blue emission.