Relationship between crystal structure and luminescent properties of novel red emissive BiVO4:Eu3+ and its photocatalytic performance

Crystalline BiVO4:Eu3+ nanomaterials have been successfully synthesized by four different methods: co-precipitation, hydrothermal, solvothermal, and reverse micelles. The relationship between crystal structure and luminescent properties was studied by X-ray diffraction and steady-state fluorescence. The data indicate that Eu3+ D-5(0) --> F-7(2) red luminescence at 618 nm can be excited by visible light at 466 nm in BiVO4 host. Furthermore, it has been found that the encapsulation of europium(III) in tetragonal phase (BiVO4) results in enhanced luminescence intensities compared with monoclinic phase. Transmission electron microscopy showed rods with sizes ranging from nanometer to micrometer and nanospheres can be obtained under different experimental conditions.