Facile Synthesis and Luminescence of Sr₅(PO₄)₃Cl:Eu²⁺ Nanorod Bundles via a Hydrothermal Route

Sr(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl:Eu(2+) nanorod bundles were successfully prepared through a facile hydrothermal method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FT-IR results demonstrate that the product is a pure hexagonal phase of Sr(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) images indicate that the as-prepared Sr(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl:Eu(2+) nanorod bundles consist of parallel nanorods with diameters ranging from 20 to 30 nm and that the nanorods grow along the [002] direction. The photoluminescence spectra show that the Eu(3+) ions have been reduced to Eu(2+) ions successfully and that the as-obtained Sr(5)(PO(4))(3)Cl:Eu(2+) phosphor exhibited intense blue emission. Furthermore, this new simple synthetic route may be of much significance in the synthesis of other divalent europium ions activated nanoscale phosphors by aqueous method.