Hydrothermal Synthesis of LuF ₃ : RE3+ Phosphors with Tunable Morphology and Multicolor Luminescence

A series of emission-tunable LuF 3 :RE[Formula: see text] (RE[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]Dy, Tb, Eu, Tm) phosphors were first synthesized via a glutamic acid-assisted one-step hydrothermal process. X-ray diffraction and SEM characterizations confirmed that the products consisted of pure LuF 3 , pure NaLuF 4 , or their mixed phases, with morphologies (irregular particles, hexagonal prismatic tubes, microspheres, fusiform structures, leaf-like architectures, etc.) precisely tunable by adjusting the initial reaction pH (2.25–11.16) or the molar ratios of RE[Formula: see text]/NaF (1:1–1:11) and RE[Formula: see text]/NaBF 4 (1:1–1:11). The luminescent properties of Dy[Formula: see text]/Tb[Formula: see text], Tb[Formula: see text]/Eu[Formula: see text], Dy[Formula: see text]/Eu[Formula: see text] and Tm[Formula: see text]/Dy[Formula: see text] co-doped systems revealed characteristic emissions: Dy[Formula: see text] (482[Formula: see text]nm, 575[Formula: see text]nm), Tb[Formula: see text] (545[Formula: see text]nm), Eu[Formula: see text] (590[Formula: see text]nm, 616[Formula: see text]nm) and Tm[Formula: see text] (454[Formula: see text]nm). Tunable multicolor luminescence (blue, green, light yellow, white) was achieved by varying the excitation wavelength (317–394[Formula: see text]nm) or dopant concentrations, as verified by CIE chromaticity coordinates ranging from (0.1881, 0.1933) to (0.3988, 0.3759). The facile synthesis route, controllable structure and excellent luminescent performance make these LuF 3 :RE[Formula: see text] phosphors promising single-component materials for advanced optoelectronic applications such as displays and solid-state lighting.