Luminescence of the orthoborate YBO3:Eu3+. Relationship with crystal structure

Pseudo-vaterite structure of YBO 3 has been determined from X-Ray data taken from a single crystal. This orthoborate crystallizes in the P6 3 m space group. The structure exhibits two types of [YO 8 ] polyhedra due to the existence of two environments for the yttrium ions. The Eu 3+ luminescence in this compound corroborates fairly well the structural determination by identification of two crystallographic sites both showing a C 3 symmetry.