Tunable luminescence and enhanced photocatalytic activity for Eu(III) doped Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles

A series of Eu(III) doped Bi₂WO₆ nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal process. The obtained Bi₂WO₆:Eu(III) nanoparticles were characterized by XRD, SEM, luminescence spectrophotometer and DRS. The XRD and TEM results indicate that the Eu(III) doping concentration has no influence on the phase and morphology. However, the Eu(III) doping can tune the luminescence and enhance the photocatalytic activity of Bi₂WO₆. With the increases of Eu³⁺ doping concentrations, the emission intensity of WO₆^6- group decreases nut the photocatalytic activity increases. The tunable luminescence of Bi₂WO₆:Eu(III) nanoparticles results from the energy transfer from WO₆^6- group to Eu(III) ion. The enhanced performance can be ascribed to efficient separation of electron and hole pairs after doping Eu(III) into the Bi₂WO₆ lattice.