Preparation and luminescent properties of Tb ³⁺ doped Y ₂ O ₂ SO ₄ microflakes

Tb3+ doped Y2O2SO4 (Y2O2SO4:Tb3+) microflakes were prepared by a combination method of electrospinning and calcination. The two-dimensional microflakes had smooth surface and high radial/axial ratio. Crystal structures of the Y2O2SO4:Tb3+ microflakes resulted in layer by layer growth in axial direction. A possible formation mechanism was proposed on the basis of experimental results, which indicated that poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) played the role of the nanostructure directing template and revealed the growth priority in radial direction. The microflakes showed a favourable fluorescent property symbolised by the characteristic green emission (541 nm) resulting from the 5D4→7F5 transition of Tb3+ ions under 229 nm ultraviolet excitation. The maximum intensity of Tb3+ emission of the Y2O2SO4:Tb3+ microflakes was 2·3 times stronger than that of the Y2O2SO4:Tb3+ bulk powders with the same doping concentration.