Abstract: Green phosphor ZnWO₄:Tb³⁺ applied in fluorescent lamp was prepared by hydrothermal method.The structure, morphology and luminescent properties of ZnWO₄:Tb³⁺ green phosphors with different surfactants are characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and fluorescence spectrometer, respectively.It reveals that all of the as-obtained samples with different surfactants are pure ZnWO₄, Tb³⁺ doping without the alteration of the structure of ZnWO₄.The excitation and emission spectra as well as fluorescence decay curves of samples were measured.The results show that the use of PEG-2000 as the surfactant is the most effective for increasing fluorescent emission intensity.The luminescence life of ZnWO₄:Tb³⁺ phosphor using PVP as the surfactant is longer than that of phosphor with PEG-2000 and CTAB as surfactants.PVP is the best choice for the surfactant with comprehensive consideration of the influence of emission intensity and fluorescence lifetime.