In this paper, the Tb3+-doped GdPO4 center dot H2O nanorods and nanobundles have been synthesized by the hydrothermal method with and without glycine, respectively. The X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy-dispersive spectra (EDS) and photoluminescence (PL) were employed to characterize the as-obtained products. It was found that the addition of glycine and the pH value have crucial influences on the formation of the resulting morphologies and sizes. The possible formation mechanisms for GdPO4 center dot H2O:Tb3+ nanorods and nanobundles were put forward. A detailed investigation on the photoluminescence of GdPO4 center dot H2O:Tb3+ different samples revealed that the luminescent properties of products are strongly correlated with the morphologies, sizes, coordination environment and crystal field symmetry. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.