Photoluminescence properties of nanocrystalline A(3)(VO4)(2): Eu (A = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba)

A series of europium doped alkali earth orthovanadates were prepared by Pechini-type sol-gel. The powders were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), infrared spectrum (IR) and photoluminescence (PL). The results of TEM show that high-quality nanopowders with controlled particle size about 50 nm were prepared. The relation between alkali earth ions and luminescence properties was observed from the results of luminescence spectra. Due to the similar ion radius of Ca2+ ions and Eu3+ ions, Ca-3 (VO4)(2) : Eu powders exhibit the strongest emission intensity among the four kind of phosphors