Photoluminescence properties of NaY(MoO4)2:Eu3+ phosphor synthesized by microwave assisted hydrothermal method

•We synthesize novel NaY(MoO4)2:Eu3+ phosphors by the microwave hydrothermal method.•We observe and explain the subtle effect of reacting temperature on crystallinity.•NaY(MoO4)2:Eu3+ has a potential application as a red emitting phosphor.

The Eu3+-doped NaY(MoO4)2 phosphors with a scheelite structure were synthesized using the microwave assisted hydrothermal process without further sintering treatment. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis indicates that the as-prepared products keep the tetragonal structure of NaY(MoO4)2. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images show that with prolonging the reaction time the morphologies of NaY0.9(MoO4)2:0.1Eu3+ phosphors evolve from rice-like to cubic micro-structure. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra demonstrate that the phosphors emit strong red light centered at 615 nm corresponding to 5D0 → 7F2 transition of Eu3+ ion under 465 nm excitation, which is in good agreement with the emission wavelength from blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs).