Structural transformation induced improved luminescent properties for LaVO4 : Eu nanocrystals

To develop a good host material for red phosphors as well as a model for clarifying the underlying correlation between structure and properties, tetragonal phased LaVO4:Eu was synthesized via an ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) assisted hydrothermal method. The challenging transformation from monazite to the metastable zircon structure for LaVO4:Eu resulted in a remarkable improvement of the luminescent properties. This improvement was rationally analyzed and the impact of structure on luminescent properties was explored. Based on these results, structural transformation-induced luminescent properties improvement was proposed as an efficient means to improve the performance of doped-insulators. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.Physics, AppliedSCI(E)EI109ARTICLE265305-53078