To obtain a suitable green phosphor for plasma display panels (PDPs), the samples of trivalent terbium-activated polyphosphate NaGd(PO3)(4):Tb3+ (NGP:Tb3+) were prepared by a solid-state reaction technique at high temperature. The vacuum ultraviolet (VUV)-visible spectroscopic properties and luminescence decay characteristic were investigated. Because the phosphor NaGd1-xTbx(PO3)(4) for x = 0.80 shows broad and strong absorption in VUV region, exhibits intensive emission under 147/172 nm excitation in comparison with the commercial green PDP phosphor Zn2SiO4:Mn2+, it is considered to be a new promising green phosphor for PDPs application. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.