Electrospinning-derived Tb2(WO4)3:Eu3+ nanowires: energy transfer and tunable luminescence properties

One-dimensional Tb2(WO4)3 and Tb2(WO4)3:Eu3+ nanowires have been prepared by a combination method of sol–gel process and electrospinning. X-Ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL), low voltage cathodoluminescence (CL) and time-resolved emission spectra as well as kinetic decays were used to characterize the resulting samples. The as-obtained precursor samples present fiber-like morphology with uniform size, and Tb2(WO4)3 and Tb2(WO4)3:Eu3+ nanowires were formed after annealing. Under ultraviolet excitation and low-voltage electron beams excitation into WO42−and the f–f transition of Tb3+, the Tb2(WO4)3 samples show the characteristic emission of Tb3+ corresponding to 5D4–7F6, 5, 4, 3 transitions due to an efficient energy transfer from WO42− to Tb3+, while Tb2(WO4)3:Eu3+ samples mainly exhibit the characteristic emission of Eu3+ corresponding to 5D0–7F0, 1, 2 transitions due to an energy transfer occurs from WO42− and Tb3+ to Eu3+. The increase of Eu3+ concentration leads to the increase of the energy transfer efficiency from Tb3+ to Eu3+. The PL color of Tb2(WO4)3:x mol% Eu3+ phosphors can be tuned from green to red easily by changing the doping concentration (x) of Eu3+, making the materials have potential applications in fluorescent lamps and color display fields.