Spherical BaSO4 particles have been coated with Y2O3:Eu3+ phosphor layers (BaSO4/Y2O3:Eu3+) by the wet chemical method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dipersive spectroscopy (EDS), photoluminescence spectra were utilized to characterize the BaSO4/Y2O3:Eu3+ core-shell-structured phosphor particles. The obtained core-shell phosphors consist of well dispersed submicron spherical particles with narrow size distribution. XRD result shows that no reaction occurred between the BaSO4 cores and the Y2O3:Eu3+ shells even after annealing at 1400 degrees C. TEM and EDS results show that BaSO4 particles are well coated with the shell of Y2O3:Eu3+. The BaSO4/Y2O3:Eu3+ core-shell particles show a red emission corresponding to D-5(0)-F-7(2) of Eu3+ under the excitation of ultraviolet. (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.