Controlled synthesis and enhanced luminescence of BiOCl:Eu3+ ultrathin nanosheets

BiOCl:Eu3+ ultrathin nanosheets were synthesized through a facile solvothermal method with the assistance of polyvinyl pyrrolidone. The ultrathin nanosheets showed a size ranging from 50–100 nm and a height of 2.9 nm, which is about four [Cl–Bi–O–Bi–Cl] layers. In addition, the luminescence properties and mechanism were investigated in detail, and compared with that of the nanoplate. It was found that the luminescence intensity for the BiOCl:Eu3+ ultrathin nanosheet was 6 times stronger than that of the nanoplate. Importantly, the oxygen vacancies act as a luminescence centers, and there was effective energy transfer from BiOCl ultrathin nanosheets to Eu3+ ions. In BiOCl:Eu3+ ultrathin nanosheets, white-light emission was observed under near-ultraviolet (NUV) excitation. These BiOCl:Eu3+ ultrathin nanosheets exhibit great potential as color-emitting phosphors for white light-emitting diode applications.