Surprising luminescent properties of the polyphosphates Ln(PO3)3 : Eu (Ln = Y, Gd, Lu)

• DOI: 10.1039/c1dt10043b
• Publication Date: 2011-06-08T10:22:11Z
• Authors: Henning A. Höppe; Karolina Kazmierczak; Sylwia Kacprzak; Inga Schellenberg; Rainer Pöttgen
• Keywords: Europium; Divalent

The optical emission properties of the lanthanoid catena-polyphosphates Ln(PO(3))(3) (Ln = Y, Gd, Lu) doped with europium were investigated. Incommensurately modulated β-Y(PO(3))(3):Eu (super space group Cc (0|0.364|0)0) and Gd(PO(3))(3):Eu (space I2/a) show usual characteristics Eu(3+), while in Lu(PO(3))(3):Eu Cc) is unprecedentedly partially reduced to divalent state, as proven by both a broad band at 406 nm excited 279 an EPR spectroscopic investigation. (151)Eu-Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that only very small part Lu(PO(3))(3):Eu. An explanation for this unusual behaviour given.