Monophasic zircon-type tetragonal Eu1 - xBixVO4 solid-solution: synthesis, characterization, and optical properties

By combining the methods of co-precipitation and hydrothermal synthesis methods, the complete solid-solution of Eu1 - xBixVO4 with monophasic zircon-type structure was successfully synthesized. The zircon-type structure was determined by X-ray diffractometer and Raman scattering, and the optical properties were characterized by ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance and photoluminescence spectrophotometer. The results indicate that the band gap of Eu1 - xBixVO4 could be adjusted and controlled by bismuth content in the range of x = 0-0.9. Meanwhile, the Eu1 - xBixVO4 solid-solution phosphors show strong red light emission was shown in 619 nm under both near UV-light and visible-light excitation. Notably, the emission intensity of Eu1 - xBixVO4 (x= 0.4) is the strongest in all samples. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.