Investigations on morphology, photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence of SrWO4 and SrWO4:Tb3+

•The SrWO4:Tb3+ can be excited by both photons and electrons used in PDPs and FEDs, respectively.•The SrWO4:Tb3+ exhibits dispersive spindle-like particles on the whole.•The results can provide useful basic data for further work of phosphor study.

The SrWO4 and SrWO4:Tb3+ samples were prepared by a simple precipitation method, and the morphology, photoluminescence and cathodoluminescence (CL) properties were investigated. The optical bandgap of SrWO4 is determined to be 4.73 eV experimentally, and a red-shift of the absorption edge is observed when Tb3+ is doped. The samples show spindle-like particles with average length of about 10 μm on the whole, but some particles of other shapes are also found. Under 254 and 147 nm excitation, the Sr0.9WO4:0.1Tb3+ phosphor exhibits typical Tb3+ green emission. The absorption bands of the WO42- group appear in the excitation spectra of both the SrWO4 and Sr0.9WO4:0.1Tb3+. By measuring the CL spectra of Sr0.9WO4:0.1Tb3+, the typical Tb3+ emission peaks are found. The above results indicate the SrWO4:Tb3+ phosphor can be excited by both photons and electrons, which has potential application in PDPs and FEDs.