Emission Brightness and Concentration Quenching Threshold of GdVO₄ : Eu³⁺ Nanophosphors Co‐Doped with Alkali Metal Ions

Abstract

GdVO4 : Eu3+ nanophosphors co‐doped with alkali metal ions (Li+, Na+, K+) of various concentrations were fabricated by an efficient hydrothermal method. The microstructure and luminescent emission properties were tested systematically. The results demonstrated that the co‐doping of M+ led to lattice distortion, which is closely related to dopants’ ionic radii and concentrations. The lattice distortion further resulted in a fluctuation of luminescent brightness. The optimal luminescent properties of GdVO4 : Eu3+ co‐doped with Li+(10 atom‐% (at. %)), Na+(8 at. %), K+(6 at. %) were achieved respectively. Among them, the GdVO4 : Eu3+ co‐doped with Li+ of 10 at % possessed the highest emission intensity. Moreover, the alkali metal ions co‐doping also gave rise to the elevation of the concentration quenching threshold of Eu3+, which further enhanced the luminescent performance.