Facile synthesis of the assembled hexagonal vaterite plates and the application as red phosphor doped with Eu3+ ions

The assembled hexagonal vaterite plates are synthesized through a precipitation route assisted by Poly(styrene sulfonic acid) sodium salt (PSS). The as-prepared products are characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM. The assembled hexagonal vaterite plates are composed of hexagonal nanoplates in the core and hexagonal microplates at the edge. The growth process of vaterite assembled plates is investigated by XRD and SEM. It is supposed that the formation of the assembled hexagonal vaterite plates is attributed to the adsorption of ammonia, PSS and the re-crystallization of the nanoparticles. The photoluminescence (PL) property of CaCO3:Eu3+ red phosphor was also investigated through the excitation and emission spectra.