Synthesis of GdVO₄ : Bi,Eu red phosphor by combustion process

Abstract

The doubly doped (Bi³⁺ and Eu³⁺) GdVO₄ powder is synthesized by the combustion of aqueous solutions containing metal nitrate (GdNO₃), ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), ammonium metavanadate (NH₄VO₃) and 3-methyl-5-pyrazole-5-one (3MP5O). The powders are mixed thoroughly by mechanical crushing for 1 h. The aqueous solution containing the redox mixtures, when rapidly heated at 400 °C, ignite and undergo a self-propagating, gas-producing, exothermic reaction to yield fine particles of metal vanadate. The powder was calcined at 650 °C for 1 h and washed with 1N HCl and NH₄OH (30%) for several times. The formation of crystalline vanadates was confirmed by XRD, FTIR, and SEM techniques. Excitation and emission spectra were also recorded. A strong emission line at 619 nm due to the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ transition in the red region was observed. The combustion solution route may be proposed as an economical technique for synthesizing red luminescent GdVO₄ : Bi,Eu phosphor.