A novel orange emissive phosphor LaPO4:Bi, Sm with sharp and splitting emission peaks of Sm3+

•Bi3+, Sm3+ co-doped La0.99−xBixSm0.01PO4 were obtained from the precursors.•Three sharp, strong and splitting emission peaks are located at 562, 596 and 642 nm.•The optimized concentration of Bi3+ for La0.99−xBixSm0.01PO4 is 0.9 mol%.•The CIE chromaticity coordinates of the optimized phosphor are x=0.42 and y=0.39.•The optimized phosphor has a strong orange light emitting property.

Bi3+, Sm3+ co-doped La0.99−xBixSm0.01PO4 polycrystalline samples were synthesized by calcining precursors at 800 °C in air. The precursors were obtained via low-heating temperature solid-state reactions. Crystal structures of the phosphor were examined with XRD and a pure phase was confirmed. The excitation spectra show that the phosphor can be efficiently excited by near-ultraviolet light, and the optimized concentration of Bi3+ is 0.9 mol%. Three sharp, strong, and splitting emission peaks are located at 562, 596, and 642 nm, corresponding to CIE (Commission International de l׳Eclairage) chromaticity coordinates x=0.42 and y=0.39, which indicate the orange light emitting property. So, the phosphor is promising in UV-LED chip-based white light-emitting diodes.

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