A novel strong green phosphor:K3Gd(PO4)2:Ce3+,Tb3+ for a UV-excited white light-emitting-diode

A series of K3Gd1 x y(PO4)2:xCe3+,yTb3+phosphors are synthesized by the solid-sate reaction method.X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra are utilized to characterize the structures and luminescence properties of the as-synthesized phosphors.Co-doping of Ce3+enhances the emission intensity of Tb3+greatly through an efficient energy transfer process from Ce3+to Tb3+.The energy transfer is confirmed by photoluminescence spectra and decay time curves analysis.The efficiency and mechanism of energy transfer are investigated carefully.Moreover,due to the nonconcentration quenching property of K3Tb(PO4)2,the photoluminescence spectra of K3Tb1 x(PO4)2:xCe3+are studied and the results show that when x=0.11 the strongest Tb3+green emission can be realized.