Y3Ga5O12:Eu3+, YGG:Tb3+, and YGG:Eu3+,Tb3+ nanocrystalline
are synthesized by the sol–gel combustion method. The phase
composition, morphology, and luminescent properties are investigated
in detail, and the influence of energy transfer between activators
on the luminescent properties is also discussed. The results show
that under UV excitation, the optimal doping concentration of YGG:Eu3+ nanocrystal is 0.1, and the emission light is red-orange.
In the YGG:Eu3+,Tb3+ codoped nanocrystalline,
Tb3+ acts as an effective sensitizer and can improve the
emission intensity of Eu3+ by transferring the absorbed
excitation energy through the dipole–dipole interaction mechanism.
At the same time, the blue emission of 489 nm and the green emission
of 544 nm generated by YGG:Tb3+ under UV excitation can
effectively improve the red-orange emission of YGG:Eu3+ due to the lack of blue-green emission, resulting in white light
with good color purity. The results show that Eu3+,Tb3+ codoped YGG nanocrystalline have potential applications
in white light-emitting diodes.