Luminescent properties of LuVO4:Eu3+,Bi3+ red phosphor for light-emitting diodes

White light-emitting diodes have recently attracted great attention as promising candidates for next-generation lighting. The LuVO4:Eu3+,Bi3+ as new near-ultraviolet excited phosphors were synthesized via high-temperature solid-state reactions. The X-ray diffraction, excitation spectra, emission spectra and decay lifetimes of the phosphors were measured to characterize the structure and luminescent properties. With Bi3+ doping, the edge of excitation band corresponding to the Eu3+ emission shifts from 350 nm to 400 nm with the help of Bi(3+)-V5+ metal-metal charge transfer. Consequently, the phosphor exhibits efficient absorption of near-ultraviolet excitation, and it also exhibits excellent performance in emission intensity compared with the Y2O2S:Eu3+ phosphor in current use. This red-emitting material may be applied as a promising red phosphor for near-ultraviolet excited white light-emitting diodes.