Sol-gel method for preparing a novel red-emitting phosphor YVO4:Sm3+, Eu3+ with ideal red color emission

• Energy transfer from Sm3+ to Eu3+ in YVO4 was investigated carefully.
• The emission intensity of YVO4:Eu3+ can be greatly enhanced by co-doping with Sm3+.
• YVO4:0.05Sm3+, 0.11Eu3+ can fully achieve CIE standard red (0.67, 0.33).

A series of novel color-tunable phosphors YVO4:Sm3+, Eu3+ was synthesized using a sol-gel method. The crystal structure and photoluminescence properties of the synthesized phosphors were measured and analyzed. By changing the ratio of Sm3+–Eu3+, the color of these phosphors can be changed from orange to red. This phenomenon was closely related to the energy transfer from Sm3+ to Eu3+, and analysis demonstrated that the energy-transfer mechanism arose from quadrupole–quadrupole interaction, with a critical distance of about 10.28 Å. The Commission International deL’Eclairage value of YVO4:0.05Sm3+, 0.11Eu3+ enabled the achievement of the standard red coordinates (0.67, 0.33). All these results indicated that the red phosphors can be used as a red component of white-light-emitting diodes.

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