A novel Dy³⁺-doped GdPO₄ white-light phosphors under vacuum ultraviolet excitation for Hg-free lamps application

Novel Dy³⁺-doped GdPO₄ white light phosphors with monoclinic system were successfully synthesised by hydrothermal method at 240 ℃. This paper investigates the luminescence properties of white-light Gd_1-xPO₄,:xDy³⁺ under vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) excitation. The strong absorption at around 147 nm in excitation spectrum energy can be transferred to the energy levels of Dy³⁺ ion from the host absorption. Additionally, this white light phosphors are activated by a single Dy³⁺ion and with a lower preparation temperature, which tend to decrease the consumption of rare earth resource and energy. Therefore, the luminescence of Gd_1-xPO₄:xDy³⁺ under VUV excitation is effective, and proves to be promising in application to mercury-free lamp.