PEG assisted hydrothermal synthesis of LaPO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles

The present reports a hydrothermal process to synthesize the precursor of Eu3+-doped LaPO4 nanoparticles with PEG2000 used as additive. SEM shows that the nanoparticles are similar to spheres. The Eu3+-doped LaPO4 phosphor was characterized by powder X-ray diffractometer. According to our measurements with XRD, the products belong to monoclinic monazite type, and the samples were well crystallized after sintering at 700°C for 2 h. The effects of synthesis condition, sintering temperature and time on the luminescence of the samples were investigated. The luminescence data indicated that the optimum condition for synthesizing the precursor was at 180°C for 14 h, and the optimum condition for heat-treatment of the precursor was at 850°C for 1 hour. The effects of different contents of Eu3+ on the luminescence of LaPO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles were also investigated, and the results showed that the luminescence intensity was enhanced with the slight increase in the Eu3+ content, and the optimum Eu3+-doping concentration was 4% (mole fraction).