Synthesis and characterization of SiO2/Gd2O3:Eu core-shell luminescent materials

Europium-doped Gd2O3 with an average size of approximately 15 nm was coated on the surface of preformed silica nanospheres by the wet chemical method. SEM and TEM photographs showed that SiO2/Gd2O3:Eu core-shell submicrospheres are obtained. XRD patterns indicated that the Gd2O3:Eu shell is crystalline after heat treatment. FTIR and XPS spectra showed that the Gd2O3:Eu shell is linked to the silica surface by forming a Si-O-Gd bond. Photoluminescence studies showed that the luminescent properties are still retained after coating on an inert silica core; additionally, we noted that the emitting peaks are broadened, which results from size effects and interface effects of nanocrystal.     

Synthesis and properties of the TTA/Gd2O3: Eu3+ luminescent system

Journal of Sol-Gel Science and Technology - Hybrid materials based on lanthanide ions or lanthanide-doped nanostructured particles have received a lot of recent attention because organic ligands...     

APTES-modified RE2O3:Eu3+ luminescent beads: structure and properties

Europium-doped lanthanide oxide RE(2)O(3):Eu(3+) (RE = Y or Gd) luminescent beads, with a spherical shape and a diameter of 150 ± 15 nm, have been modified by reaction with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES), in order to introduce reactive amine groups at their surfaces. The direct silanation has resulted in the formation of a nanometric layer at the surface of the beads, with an optimum grafting rate of 0.055 ± 0.005 mol APTES/mol RE(2)O(3). Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectroscopies confirmed the condensation of an organosilane layer, made of cross-linked -O-Si-O-Si- and of groups -O-Si-R (with R = (CH(2))(3)NH(2) or O-Et). Titration of the accessible amine groups has been performed by simultaneously measuring the luminescence of grafted fluorescein isothiocyanate and that of core particles: there are about 2.3 × 10(4) (2.8 × 10(4)) -NH(2) per Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+) (Gd(2)O(3):Eu(3+)) bead. The isoelectronic point was shifted by one pH unit after APTES modification. The surface modification by APTES at least preserved (for Gd(2)O(3):Eu(3+)) or improved (for Y(2)O(3):Eu(3+)) the red emission of the beads.     

Mutifuntional GdPO4:Eu3+ hollow spheres: synthesis and magnetic and luminescent properties

Mondispersed submicrometer GdPO(4):Eu(3+) hollow spheres were synthesized via an effective one-pot hydrothermal process. These hollow spheres have the average diameter of 200 nm, and the shell thickness is about 20 nm. The surface of the spheres consists of a number of nanorods with diameters of about 10 nm and lengths of about 50-80 nm. Both magnetic and luminescent properties of the obtained Eu(3+)-doped GdPO(4) hollow spheres were investigated. The hysteresis plot (M-H) analysis result indicates their paramagnetic property. The fluorescence spectra demonstrate that they emit orange-red color light originated from the (5)D(0) → (7)F(J) transitions of the Eu(3+) ions. Therefore, the obtained GdPO(4) hollow spheres hold promise for encapsulate drugs with controlled release. Moreover, the GdPO(4):Eu(3+) hollow spheres are attributes for bimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/optical bioimaging labeling.     

纳米MgBO_2(OH):Eu~(3+)的制备及发光性能研究

利用水热法,制备得到了纳米线组装的绒球状和纳米带聚集的絮状Mg BO2(OH):Eu3+,对它们进行了EDS、XRD、IR、SEM等表征及发光性能研究。研究发现两个产品的最高激发峰和发射峰分别都位于λ=250nm和λ=615nm处,为红色发光材料;且发现绒球状Mg BO2(OH):Eu3+的峰强度明显强于絮状Mg BO2(OH):Eu3+,但絮状Mg BO2(OH):Eu3+的红橙比(R/O)更高。     

Preparation and photoluminescence properties of Y2SiO5:Eu3+ nanocrystals

The sol-emulsion-gel method is used for the preparation of about 5-7 nm size Eu2O3 doped and coated Y2SiO5 nanoparticles at 1300 degrees C. Here, we report the role of surface coating, dopant concentration and temperature of heating on the modification of crystal structure and the photoluminescence properties of Y2SiO5:Eu3+ nanocrystals. It is found that photoluminescence properties are sensitive to the crystal structure which is again controlled by surface coating, concentration and heating temperature. The decay times are 0.76, 1.14, 1.23 and 1.40 ms for 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 mol% Eu2O3 doped Y2SiO5 nanocrystals prepared at 1100 degrees C (X1-Y2SiO5). However, in X2-Y2SiO5 crystal phase (at 1300 degrees C) the average decay times are 1.05, 1.35, 1.55 and 1.60 ms for 0.25, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.5 mol% Eu2O3 doped Y2SiO5 nanocrystals, indicating the photoluminescence properties depend on both the crystal structure and the concentration of ions. The emission intensity of the peak at 612 nm (5D0-->7F2) of the Eu3+-ions is found to be sensitive to the doping and surface coating of Y2SiO5 nanocrystals. The decay times are 1.55 and 1.70 ms for 1300 degrees C heated 1.0 mol% Eu2O3 doped and coated Y2SiO5 nanocrystals, respectively. Our analysis suggests that the site symmetry of ions plays a most important role in the modification of radiative relaxation mechanisms and as a result on the overall photoluminescence properties.     

Enhanced luminescence of SiO2:Eu3+ by energy transfer from ZnO nanoparticles

ZnO nanoparticles embedded into SiO(2) by an ex situ method were shown to result in stable green emission with a peak at 510 nm compared to the normal peak at 495 nm from micron-sized ZnO powders. Green emission from ZnO nanoparticles was completely suppressed when they were embedded in SiO2 doped with Eu3+. Instead, the f-f emissions from Eu3+ were enhanced 5-10 times by energy transfer from the embedded ZnO nanoparticles to Eu3+. The Eu3+ luminescence increased as the Eu3+ concentration increased from 1 vs 5 mole % (for 10 mole % ZnO). In addition, the intensity increased as the embedded ZnO nanoparticles concentration increased up to 10 mole % (for 5 mole % Eu3+). The effects of phonon mediated energy transfer, quenching by activator interactions between Eu3+ ions, and energy back-transfer from Eu3+ ions to ZnO nanoparticles were discussed.     

Monodisperse and core-shell-structured SiO2@YBO3:Eu3+ spherical particles: synthesis and characterization

Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 phosphor layers were deposited on monodisperse SiO2 particles of different sizes (300, 570, 900, and 1200 nm) via a sol-gel process, resulting in the formation of core-shell-structured SiO2@Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 particles. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL), and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra as well as lifetimes were employed to characterize the resulting composite particles. The results of XRD, FE-SEM, and TEM indicate that the 800 degrees C annealed sample consists of crystalline YBO3 shells and amorphous SiO2 cores, in spherical shape with a narrow size distribution. Under UV (240 nm) and VUV (172 nm) light or electron beam (1-6 kV) excitation, these particles show the characteristic 5D0-7F1-4 orange-red emission lines of Eu3+ with a quantum yield ranging from 36% (one-layer Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 on SiO2) to 54% (four-layer Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 on SiO2). The luminescence properties (emission intensity and color coordinates) of Eu3+ ions in the core-shell particles can be tuned by the coating number of Y0.9Eu0.1BO3 layers and SiO2 core particle size to some extent, pointing out the great potential for these particles applied in displaying and lightening fields.     

Fabrication and luminescent properties of the core-shell structured YNbO4:Eu/Tb@SiO2 spherical particles

The core-shell structured YNbO₄:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺@SiO₂ particles were realized by coating the YNbO₄:Eu³⁺/Tb³⁺ phosphors onto the surface of spherical silica via a sol-gel process. The obtained materials were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform IR spectroscopy (FT-IR), photoluminescence (PL) spectra, and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra. The results indicate that 600 °C annealed samples consist of amorphous silica core and crystalline YNbO₄:Re shell, having perfect spherical morphology with uniform size distribution. Upon excitation by UV or electron beam, these phosphors show the characteristic ⁵D₀-⁷F_1-4 emission lines of Eu³⁺ and the characteristic ⁵D₄-⁷F_3-6 emission lines of Tb³⁺. The PL intensities of Eu³⁺ can be tuned by altering the annealing temperature and the coating number of YNbO₄:Eu³⁺ layers.     

Preparation and photocatalytic properties of Fe3+-doped Ag@TiO2 core-shell nanoparticles

Ag@TiO2 core-shell-type nanophotocatalysts have been prepared using a simple and convenient method. The products were characterized by TEM, XRD, and UV-vis spectra. To make the catalysts achieve the highest photocatalytic activity under UV light illumination, the Ag content of Ag@TiO2 was optimized. The results showed that Ag@TiO2-doped Fe3+ extend their absorption into the visible region. Among the Fe3+-doped samples, Ag@Fe-TiO2 with low Ag content showed higher photocatalytic activity under visible light illumination. An excessive added amount of Ag would reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+ and make them difficult to be incorporated into the lattice of titania. From the experiments, we found that Fe3+ ions could stabilize the Ag@TiO2 colloid by holding back the aggregation of the core-shell nanoparticles.     

Effects of precipitant on microstructure and luminescent properties of Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanopowders and ceramics

Nanocrystalline Lu(2)O(3):Eu(3+) was prepared by co-precipitation method using ammonium hydrogen carbonate and ammonium oxalic acid as precipitants, respectively. The crystal structure and morphology were analyzed by means of XRD and TEM. The resultant powders were sintered into transparent ceramics in vacuum and then in nitrogen without any additive. The surface morphology of the unpolished sintered specimens was characterized using SEM. The effect of different precipitants on microstructure of the nanopowders and transparency of the ceramics are compared. The excitation and emission spectra of Lu(2)O(3):Eu(3+) powders and ceramics were measured at room temperature by using synchrotron radiation as the light source. The fluorescence decay times of all specimens were analyzed. Luminescence of the ceramics decays faster than the corresponding nanopowders.     

MgAl2O4:Eu3+ nanoplates and nanoparticles as red-emitting phosphors: Shape-controlled synthesis and photoluminescent properties

We demonstrate herein a facile hydrothermal synthesis followed by post-annealing approach to selectively prepare MgAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺ nanoplates and nanoparticles. Series of scientific techniques such as XRPD, FESEM, TEM, HRTEM, and PL were adopted to characterize the as-prepared MgAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺ phosphors. First, by altering the amount of hexamethylenetetramine (abbr. HMTA) in solution, MgAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺ nanoplates occurred. Next, MgAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺ nanoparticles were prepared by adding certain amounts of sodium citrate and sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (abbr. SDBS). In particular, the MgAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺ nanoplates have novel porous structures. Besides, the MgAl₂O₄:Eu³⁺ phosphors exhibit excellent red-emitting properties based upon the characteristic transitions of Eu³⁺ from ⁵D₀ → ⁷F_J (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4).     

Solvent-driven room-temperature synthesis of nanoparticles BiPO4:Eu3+

In this work, a novel solvent-driven room-temperature synthesis of BiPO(4):Eu(3+) nanoparticles was presented. By virtue of 11 solvents with different properties and function groups, phase structure and composition of BiPO(4):Eu(3+) can be systematically tailored. Hexagonal phase (HP) of BiPO(4):Eu(3+) was obtained in water and hydrophobic organic solvents such as arenes and cyclohexane, while low-temperature monoclinic phase (LTMP) was prepared in hydrophilic alcohols. In other solvents (i.e., hydrophilic ethers, aldehydes, ketones, and carboxylic acids), a mixture of HP and LTMP was formed, in which the relative content of LTMP gradually increased following the above solvent sequence. It is also found that particle sizes of BiPO(4):Eu(3+) nanoparticles were closely related to the phase structure: HP exhibited a comparatively larger particle size. The phase evolution processes for both polymorphs with varying solvents were investigated in details. Photoluminescence (PL) properties were sensitive to the phase structure and compositions of the final products. With increasing the phase content of LTMP, the lifetimes and quantum yields both increased. The methodology reported here is fundamentally important, which may give a novel insight into the polymorph-controlled synthesis for further optimized materials performance.     

Site selection spectroscopy of SiO2:Eu3+ gels

Silica gels doped with Eu³⁺ ions were studied at temperatures between 10 K and 300 K by site selection spectroscopy in samples heated up to 200°C. The ⁵D₀ ⁷F₀ transition shows internal structures due to the different environments of the europium ions. Lifetimes, energy levels and homogeneous linewidths are site dependent. In the wet gel the Eu³⁺ ions prefer a liquid-like environment and only when the liquid is removed by heat treatment, the ion is linked more strongly to the silica network.     

Energy Transfer Between Eu3+ Ions and CdS Quantum Dots in Sol-Gel Derived CdS/SiO2 : Eu3+ Gel

We have investigated the energetic correlation between rare-earth ions and semiconductor nanocrystals, using europium ion (Eu³⁺) doped silica (SiO₂) gel with adsorbed cadmium sulfide (CdS) particles. Samples were prepared by a sol-gel technique, in which several methods for the precipitation of CdS colloids were attempted. The fluorescence intensities were compared for different gels, with and without CdS particles. The intrinsic emission lines due to ⁵D₀ ⁷F_J(J = 0–4) transitions of Eu³⁺ were observed, which were enhanced for 24 h-immersed gel (dried at 50°C). From the results on the decay dynamics of fluorescence, we proposed the model that surface-trapped electrons on CdS particles nonradiatively excited 4f electrons in Eu³⁺ ions due to an energy transfer process.     

SiO2／LaF3：Eu3＋核壳结构发光粒子的制备与表征

采用简单的液相法合成了SiO2/LaF3:Eu3 核壳结构发光粒子,并对其结构及发光性能进行了表征.XRD分析表明包覆层LaF3:Eu3 为立方晶相结构,红外光谱表明SiO2颗粒表面有柠檬酸的修饰,电镜照片表明合成了球形的核-壳结构的复合粒子,包覆层厚度为10～20 nm,光谱测试表明核-壳复合粒子与纯的LaF3:Eu3 具有相同的发光性能,均以589 nm附近的5D0-7F1磁偶极跃迁为最强发射峰,说明Eu3 在LaF3基质中占据的格位相同.     

Thermoluminescent Properties of Tridymite SiO2 : Al3+, Eu3+

SiO₂ crystals have been used in electroluminescence devices and thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeters. However, their emission mechanisms have not yet been clearly explained. Recently, it has become possible to obtain amorphous, highly pure, SiO₂ prepared by the sol-gel method. The emission mechanism of TL was investigated using Al³⁺ and/or Eu³⁺-doped SiO₂ crystalline samples prepared by heat-treating under much lower temperature than the melting point of SiO₂. The TL spectrum of Eu³⁺-doped sample had main peaks due to the electron transitions from ⁵D₂ to ⁷F₅ (ca. 570 nm, yellow peak) and from ⁵D₀ to ⁷F₂ (ca. 610 nm, red peak). The yellow peak intensity has a maximum value in the SiO₂ doped with near 1 mmol% of Eu₂O₃, while the red peak intensity was almost constant. These facts suggest that bright yellow emission of SiO₂TL phosphor is synthesized by the diffusion of Eu³⁺ ion in SiO₂ matrix prepared by sol-gel method.     

Facile hydrothermal synthesis of 3D hierarchical Bi2SiO5 nanoflowers and their luminescent properties

Facile hydrothermal synthesis of novel hierarchical flowerlike Bi₂SiO₅ nanostructures consisting of single-crystal nanosheets is reported using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP, K30) as capping reagent in the presence of NaOH. The obtained products are systematically characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Control experiments are carried out to investigate various factors that affect the morphology and size of the products. The results indicate that the nucleation and growth of the flowerlike nanostructures are dominated by a nucleation–dissolution–recrystallization growth mechanism. It is demonstrated that the concentrations of PVP and NaOH play important roles in the formation of the hierarchical nanoflowers. Moreover, the room-temperature photoluminescence properties of the Bi₂SiO₅ nanoflowers are also investigated.     

Luminescence properties of Eu3+ doped CaMoO4 nanoparticles

When Eu(3+) ions occupy Ca(2+) sites of CaMoO(4), which has a body centered tetragonal structure with inversion symmetry, only the magnetic dipole transition ((5)D(0)→(7)F(1)) should be allowed according to Judd-Ofelt theory. Even if there are a few distortions in the Eu(3+) environment, its intensity should be more than that of the electric dipole transition ((5)D(0)→(7)F(2)). We report here the opposite effect experimentally and ascribe this to the polarizability effect of the MoO(4) tetrahedron, which is neighboring to EuO(8) (symmetric environment). The contribution of the energy transfer process from the Mo-O charge transfer band to Eu(3+) and the role of Eu(3+) over the surface of the particle could be distinguished when luminescence decay processes were measured at two different excitations (250 and 398 nm). Further, the luminescence intensities and lifetimes increase significantly with increasing heat-treatment temperature of the doped samples. This is attributed to the reduction of H(2)O from the surface of the particles and a non-radiative process after heat treatment.     

Facile synthesis and properties of ZnFe2O4 and ZnFe2O4/polypyrrole core-shell nanoparticles

We demonstrated that ZnFe₂O₄/polypyrrole core-shell nanoparticles could be facilely synthesized via in situ chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole monomers on the surface of ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles. The shell thickness of core-shell nanoparticles could be easily controlled by adjusting the amount of pyrrole monomers. The phase structures, morphologies and properties of the as-prepared products were investigated by XRD, TEM, SEM, VSM, and FTIR spectra. Magnetic studies revealed that the saturation magnetization (M_s) and coercivity (H_c) of ZnFe₂O₄/PPy core-shell nanoparticles is 17.8 emu/g and 130 Oe, respectively. The electromagnetic characteristics of products showed that ZnFe₂O₄/PPy core-shell nanoparticles exhibit excellent microwave absorption performance than ZnFe₂O₄ nanoparticles, such as more powerful absorbing property and wider electromagnetic wave absorbing frequency band due to the proper matching of the permittivity and the permeability of ZnFe₂O₄/PPy core-shell nanoparticles.