Tunable white-light emission and afterglow of Eu3+ doped Gd2Zr2O7 phosphors

The undoped and Eu-doped Gd2Zr2O7 phosphors with different concentrations were prepared by the conventional solid-state reaction method. By varying the Eu3+ concentration, under the 256 nm excitation wavelength, the emission colour of the Gd2Zr2O7:Eu3+ phosphors can be tuned over a broad region. The synthesized phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The PL spectra show the 5D0→ 7FJ (J = 1, 2 and 3) transition of Eu3+ and describe the afterglow properties of these phosphors which may be applicable for the development of white-LED (WLED).