Synthesis of YVO<Subscript>4</Subscript>:Eu<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Nanophosphors Through the Use of Urea and Aniline Fuels and Study of Their Microstructures and Optical Properties

In this paper, YVO₄:Eu³⁺ nanophosphors were synthesized via the simple combustion method by urea and aniline, individually. The particle size of produced powders and the combustion flame temperature were explained in thermodynamic terms. These phosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscope and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. It was concluded that the amounts of released gas, adiabatic flame temperature, remaining compounds after combustion reaction, size of powders and optical properties depended strongly on the used combustion fuel. Also, the PL intensity of the phosphors synthesized by aniline was remarkably higher than that of phosphors synthesized by urea.     

Effect of Nd3+ substitution on structural and magnetic properties of Mg–Cd ferrites synthesized by microwave sintering technique

Nd~(3+) substituted spinel ferrites with formula Mg_xCd_(1-x)Nd_(0.03)Fe_(1.97)O_4(x = 0.0.2,0.4,0.6.0.8 and 1.0)were prepared by oxalate co-precipitation method using novel microwave sintering technique. AR grade sulphates were used as starting chemicals. The samples were sintered at optimized power of 70 W for10 min in a microwave oven(800 W). The structural analysis of these samples was done by using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope and Fourier transform IR techniques. The XRD analysis of the synthesized ferrite confirms the formation of cubic spinel structure of ferrite. The influence of Nd3+substitution on various structural parameters of Mg-Cd ferrites was reported. IR study indicates the spectra contain two intense absorption bands around 600 and 400 cm~(-1) in addition with four extra bands. The magnetic properties of all ferrites were studied by using a vibration sample magnetometer.The crystallite and grain size dependant magnetic properties are observed. The composition Mg_(0.6)Cd_(0.4)Nd_(0.03)Fe_(1.97)O_4 has better magnetic properties that can be used in recording media. The fast synthesis of spinel ferrites is yielded due to use of the microwave sintering technique.     

Nd2O3对氧化锌压敏阀片晶粒尺寸的影响

研究微量Nd2O3添加剂对氧化锌压敏阀片的微观组织结构和成分分布的影响,从理论上探讨了Nd2O3影响氧化锌压敏阀片晶粒尺寸的机理。研究结果表明,Nd2O3加入到氧化锌压敏阀片中,Nd与原料中的Zn、Sb、O元素以及Na、Al等杂质形成了新相并分布在ZnO的晶界处,阻碍了ZnO晶界的迁移,从而抑制了ZnO晶粒的长大,使晶粒细小均匀。Nd2O3掺杂的氧化锌压敏阀片具有较为理想的综合电性能。     

Structural and photoluminescence studies of Eu3+ doped zinc oxide nanorods prepared by precipitation method

Trivalent europium doped zinc oxide (ZnO:Eu3+) nanocrystals were synthesized via room temperature chemical co-precipitation and they were systematically characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The as-synthesized samples were found to have hexagonal wurtzite coexisted with the intermediate Zn5(OH)8Cl2·H2O phase, while the single hexagonal phase was facilitated due to the calcinations. The as obtained samples were broadly composed of nanoflakes while the highly crystalline nanorods were formed due to low temperature annealing of the as-synthesized samples. The crystallite size of the nanoflakes and nanorods (40-90 nm) were extracted from the XRD pattern which was found to be consistent with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) measurements. The photolumi-nescence (PL) spectra of nanophosphors showed bright red and orange emissions at 618 and 594 nm respectively with efficient broad blue green emission spectrum due to ZnO lattice. Further, a good energy transfer process from ZnO host to Eu3+ was observed in PL emission and excitation spectra of Eu3+ doped ZnO ions. In all, the present nanophosphors were found to have great potentiality for bio-applications.     

A novel approach for synthesis of hierarchical mesoporous Nd_2O_3 nanomaterials

A novel route to the fabrication of hierarchical mesoporous Nd_2O_3 nanostructures including nanospheres and nanoporous network was described. Their structure and morphology evolution of the as-synthesized materials were determined by various techniques such as scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Fourier transforminfrared spectra, nitrogen adsorption/desorption isotherm, and a formation mechanism was proposed. The results revealed that the Nd_2O_3 nanospheres had the diameter of 300 nm, which were composed of small primary nanoparticles(NPs) with the size of 10 nm. The nanoporous structure also formed the NPs of ca. 10 nm which were connected with each other to form a three-dimensional(3D) texture. This simple and mild approach to fabricate hierarchical mesoporous Nd_2O_3 nanostructures could be easily scaled up and potentially extended to synthesize other oxide hierarchical structures.     

La~(3+) doped LiCo_(0.25)Zn_(0.25)Fe_2O_4 spinel ferrite nanocrystals:Insights on structural,optical and magnetic properties

This paper addresses the manipulation of structural,morphology,optical and magnetic properties of LiCo_(0.25)Zn_(0.25)Fe_2 O_4 ferrite via incorporation of different proportions of La~(3+) at the expense of iron ions using a sol-gel method.The samples were characterized using the X-ray diffraction technique(XRD),Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy,the energy dispersive X-ray spectra(EDX),inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy(ICP-OES),high resolution scanning electron microscopy(SEM),Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) surface area analysis,ultraviolet-diffuse reflectance spectroscopy(UV-DRS),and vibrating sample magnetometer(VSM) technique.The Rietveld refinements of the samples indicate that at higher concentrations of La3+,nanostructures with dual phase,i.e.cubic spinel and orthorhombic LaFeO_3 perovskite with space group(Pbnm) appear.Optical studies show that the energy band gap(E_g) of the bare LiCo_(0.25)Zn_(0.25)Fe_2 O_4 ferrite sample(2.18 eV) reaches up to 2.47 eV at x=0.06 and above this concentration,it drops sharply to 2.00 eV.Although the saturation magnetization and the coercivity of LiCo_(0.25)Zn_(0.25)La_xFe_(2-x)O_4 are lower than that of LiCo_(0.25)Zn_(0.25)Fe_2 O_4 NPs.Overall,the superparamagnetic nature and low values of saturation magnetization and coercivity of LiCo_(0.25)Zn_(0.25)La_xFe_(2-x)O_4 NPs are suitable to be applied in transformers core.     

Energy transfer in Tb~（3＋）,Yb~（3＋） codoped Lu_2O_3 near-infrared downconversion nanophosphors

Tb3+ and Yb3+ codoped Lu2O3 nanophosphors were synthesized by the reverse-strike co-precipitation method. The obtained Lu2O3:Tb3+,Yb3+ nanophosphors were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. The XRD results showed that all the prepared nanophosphors could be readily indexed to pure cubic phase of Lu2O3 and indicated good crystallinity. The Tb3+→Yb3+ energy transfer mechanisms in the UV-blue region in Lu2O3 nanophosphors were investigated. The experimental results showed that the strong visible emission around 543 nm from Tb3+ (5D4→7F5) and near-infrared (NIR) emission around 973 nm from Yb3+ (2F5/2→2F7/2) of Lu2O3:Tb3+,Yb3+ nanophosphors were observed under ultraviolet light excitation, respectively. Tb3+ could be effectively excited up to its 4f75d1 state and relaxed down to the 5D4 level, from which the energy was transferred cooperatively to two neighboring Yb3+. The Yb3+ concentration dependent luminescent properties and lifetimes of both the visible and NIR emissions were also studied. The lifetime of the visible emission decreased with the increase of Yb3+ concentration, verifying the efficient energy transfer from the Tb3+ to the Yb3+. Cooperative energy transfer (CET) from Tb3+ to Yb3+ was discussed as a possible mechanism for the near-infrared emission. When doped concentrations were 1 mol.% Tb3+ and 2 mol.% Yb3+, the intensity of NIR emission was the strongest.     

Effect of RE~(3+) electronegativities on luminescence property of Ba_5Si_8O_(21):Eu~(2+) persistent phosphor

A series of Ba_5Si_8O_(21):0.02Eu~(2+),0.09RE~(3+) persistent phosphors were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method.The measurement results of photoluminescence(PL),phosphorescence and thermoluminescence(TL)were analysed and discussed.The XRD results showed that samples codoped with different RE~(3+) were Ba_5Si_8O_(21) single pure phase.Under the excitation,all samples exhibited a broad Eu~(2+) characteristic emission,and the La~(3+) co-doped sample emitted the brightest photoluminescence even though its persistent luminescence property was the worst because of the weakest electronegativity.However,Nd~(3+) electronegativity was suitable,thus after activation,the Ba_5Si_8O_(21):Eu~(2+),Nd~(3+) sample had the best persistent luminescence performance with the highest phosphorescence intensity and the persistent luminescence decay time beyond 8 h.The Nd~(3+) co-doped sample also had the largest thermoluminescence integral area which proved effectively it had longer persistent luminescence time.The luminescence mechanism was also proposed to study the photoluminescence and persistent luminescence process.These results showed that RE~(3+) electronegativities were distinctly important for persistent phosphors and choosing suitable electronegativity codopant was conducive to enhancing the phosphorescent performance.     

Photoluminescence properties of Eu~(3+)-doped MgAl_2O_4 nanoparticles in various surrounding media

Eu~(3+)-doped MgAl_2O_4 nanoparticles were prepared by modified Pechini method.X-ray diffraction analysis shows pure tetragonal spinel phase without any impurities.The average size of synthesized nanoparticles was determined to be about 50-60 nm using scanning electron microscopy and static light scattering techniques.Emission and excitation spectra as well as lifetimes of MgAl_2O_4:Eu~(3+) nanophosphors were explored in surrounding media with different refractive indexes.Surrounding medium does not affect luminescence bands position,whereas ~5D_0 lifetime monotonically decreases along with increase of medium refractive index.Effect of surrounding media on radiative and nonradiative decay rates,which were calculated using 4f-4f intensity theory,was studied and discussed.Filling factor of prepared nanoparticles is defined using both radiative and observed lifetimes.     

Synthesis and spectroscopic studies of Zn_4B_6O_(13) and Eu/Tb single-doped Zn_4B_6O_(13) phosphors

In this study, Zn_4B_6O_(13), Eu-and Tb-doped Zn_4B_6O_(13) phosphors were prepared by conventional solid state reaction method and the samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy(PL). The doped rare-earth ions had little influence on the crystal structure of Zn_4B_6O_(13), but obviously affected the morphology of Zn_4B_6O_(13) particles. The PL results indicated that the 5% Eu-doped sample and 1% Tb-doped sample had the highest intensity in their respective different concentrations doped samples. The CIE chromaticity coordinates indicated that Zn_4B_6O_(13), Zn_4B_6O_(13):Eu and Zn_4B_6O_(13):Tb showed the three basic colors of blue, red and green, respectively. Evidently, the white light could appear only at appropriate intensity of blue, red and green components.     

Dysprosium cerate nanostructures:facile synthesis,characterization,optical and photocatalytic properties

A facile approach was developed to prepare Dy_2Ce_2O_7 nanostructures. Dy_2Ce_2O_7 nanostructures were prepared by applying cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate and dysprosium nitrate as Ce and Dy precursors. It was found that the kind of connecting agent, space-filling template and chelating agent were significant factors for the control in shape and size. Transmission electron microscopy(TEM), X-ray diffraction(XRD), diffuse reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy(DR-UV-vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM), photoluminescence spectroscopy(PL) and energy dispersive X-ray microanalysis(EDX) techniques were applied to characterize the Dy_2Ce_2O_7 nanostructures and investigate their optical characteristics. To examine the photocatalytic activity of as-produced Dy_2Ce_2O_7 nanostructures, the photocatalytic degradation of erythrosine dye as water pollutant was carried out. The results of the photocatalytic investigations suggest as-obtained nano-sized Dy_2Ce_2O_7 product as a new, proper and efficient candidate for photocatalytic usages under UV illumination.     

Ionic liquid mediated morphologically improved lanthanum oxide nanoparticles by Andrographis paniculata leaves extract and its biomedical applications

Greener synthesis of ionic liquid(IL) assisted lanthanum oxide(La_2O_3) nanoparticles(NPs) was followed using Andrographis paniculata leaves extract by hydrothermal method at low temperature,The IL assisted La_2O_3(La_2O_3-IL) NPs were characterized by various properties such as structural,spectral,optical,morphological,and biological studies.Powder X-ray diffraction studies confirm that La_2O_3-IL NPs crystallize in the form of body-centered cubic structure and average crystalline size is shown-43 nm.FTIR and Laser Raman spectroscopy confirm the La-O,O-H and various functional groups.The La-O stretching vibration band attributes at 639 cm~(-1).The optical property of La_2O_3-IL NPs was characterized by UV-Vis and photo luminesce nce spectroscopy.The sharp and intense absorbance peak observed in the UV region at 288 nm can be assigned.In the PL spectrum,we observe two different emission bands like blue and green emission.The morphological and particle size determination were investigated by SEM with EDX spectra and TEM analyses.The agglomerated particles of hexagonal,spherical,and parallelogram shape are observed in the TEM images.The chemical elements,binding energies as well as La metal states on the surface of these synthesized NPs were determined using XPS.La_2O_3 NPs for good biological activities regarding antibacterial and anti-inflammatory potentials could be utilized in different biological applications to the food and biomedical industries.La_2O_3-IL has a high percentage of inhibitions than La_2O_3 and standard diclofenac.     

Synthesis and characterization of NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)@silica-N=folic acid nanocomplex for bioimaginable detecting MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Upconversion nanophosphors are new promising nanomaterials to be used as biolabels for detection and imaging of cancer cells.These nanophosphors absorb long-wavelength excitation radiation in the infrared or near infrared region and emit shorter wavelength,higher energy radiation from ultraviolet to infrared.In this paper,we studied the hydrothermal method and optical properties of the functionalized NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)for biomedical application.After synthesis,these NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)nanophosphors were functionalized with aminosilanes and folic acid.Folic acid binds to the folate receptor on the surface of MCF-7 breast cancer cells and this binding promotes internalization of the nanophosphors via endocytosis.The sizes of the functionalized NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)@silica-N=FA(folic acid) nanophosphors can be controlled with length of the rod about 300-800 nm and diameter of the rod about 100-200 nm.Phase structure of NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)is in hexagonal crystal system.The photo luminescence(PL) spectra of the functionalized NaYF_4:Yb~(3+),Er~(3+)@silica-N=FA nanophosphors were measured.These nanophosphors emit in red color with the strongest band at 650 nm under 980 nm excitation.This result can provide NaYF_4:Er~(3+),Yb~(3+)@silica-N=FA complex for developing fluorescence label and image tool in cancer biology and medicine.     

Synthesis and characterization of rare earth metal doped tungsten trioxide photocatalyst for degradation of Rhodamine B dye

Nowadays,it is concern for researchers that due to high recombination rate of photogenerated charge carriers in tungsten trioxide(WO₃) nanoparticles,the future applications are limited in the field of photocatalysis.Herein we attempt to synthesize tungsten trioxide nanoparticles with different doping concentrations of lanthanum i.e.2 wt%,4 wt%,6 wt% and 8 wt%.The synthesized samples were characterized by using various characterization techniques:X-ray diffraction(XRD),Raman spectrosco...     

Influence of lanthanum on enhancement of mechanical and electrical properties of Cu-Al_2O_3 composites

Two kinds of Cu-Al_2O_3 composites(with and without La) were prepared via mechanical alloying-spark plasma sintering(MA-SPS) method. Microstructure, mechanical properties and electrical resistivity were investigated systematically using metallography, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, mechanical and electrical properties testing. The results indicate that an appropriate amount of La can homogenize the distribution of Al_2O_3. As such, yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation of Cu-Al_2O_3-La are greatly increased. Some semi-coherent interface between Cu and Al_2O_3 is found, which means a low interface energy. The grain shape of Cu changes to irregular band with the addition of La. This change results in a density decrease of grain boundary and reduces electrical resistance. Lanthanum may exist in the form of La_2O_3.     

Synthesis and photoluminescent properties of water-soluble TbF_3 nanoparticles

Monodispersed and water-soluble TbF3 nanoparticles were synthesized at a relatively low temperature in aqueous solution using citric acid as an additive,and characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD),field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM),Fourier transform infrared spectra(FTIR),photoluminescence(PL) spectra and lifetime.The as-prepared TbF3 nanoparticles had orthorhombic structure and were composed of monodispersed spherical particles with an average particle size of 50 nm.The excitation spectrum...     

A single-phased white-emitting Ca_2Ga_2GeO_7:Dy~(3+) phosphor with different charge compensation ions

A novel white-emitting Ca_2Ga_2GeO_7:Dy~(3+) phosphor was synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state reaction.The crystal phase was analyzed by X-ray diffraction(XRD),and the photoluminescence(PL) properties were studied by luminescence spectra and fluorescence decay curves.Under the excitation of 347 nm,the obtained phosphor exhibited strong emission in the blue region peaked at 478 nm,yellow at 574 nm and a weak red emission band at 665 nm,corresponding to the characteristic transitions of ~4F_(9/2)to ~6H_(15/2),~6H_(13/2) and ~6H_(11/2) of Dy~(3+),respectively.By varying the doping concentration of Dy~(3+),tunable colors from blue-white to yellow-white were obtained in the phosphors.Besides,by codoping charge compensators(Li~+,Na~+,K~+ and Ga~(3+)) in Ca_2Ga_2GeO_7:Dy~(3+),the optimum CE color coordinate and PL intensity were obtained in Ca_2Ga_2GeO_7:Dy~(3+),K~+.Accordingly,the PL mechanism of Ca_2Ga_2GeO_7:Dy~(3+) was discussed briefly.     

Facile sol-gel combustion synthesis and photoluminescence enhancement of CaZrO3：Sm3＋ nanophosphors via Gd3＋ doping

CaZrO3:Sm and CaZrO3:Sm,Gd nanophosphors were synthesized by a facile and efficient sol-gel combustion method. Their structure and optical properties were studied. The photoluminesce (PL) results showed that the phosphor could be efficiently excited by irradiation at wavelengths in the visible light region (350-430nm). The CaZrO3:Sm nanophosphor exhibited strong yellow-green, orange and red emissions with peak wavelength centered at 565nm (4G5/2→6H5/2), 601nm (4G5/2→6H7/2) and 645nm (4G5/2→6H9/2), respectively. The incorporation of Gd3+ ions could greatly improve the luminescence intensity. The highest emission intensity was observed with 2mol.% Gd3+ doped CaZrO3:3mol.% Sm powder. The material had potential application in the development of materials for LED’s and other optical devices in the visible region.     

Nano-preparation promoting effectively luminescent properties of one-dimensional rare earth oxides

Rare earth (La,Nd and Tb) oxides with one-dimensional micro/nanostructures were synthesized hydrothermally under facile and mild conditions with two surfactants, and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetry (TG), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence. The results showed that the synthesized rare earth oxides behaved regular nano-and micro-scale structures. And the morphologies of samples depended on the radii of rare earth ions, with the help of two surfactants of sodium dodecyl sulfonic and PEG 600. Nanocrystalline La2O3:Eu3+ possessed good photoluminescence (PL) property and might be used as a nanosized phosphor, its PL intensity was altered by the doping Eu3+ concentration and the optimum concentration of Eu3+ was 3 mol.%. In comparison with bulk Eu3+/La2O3, Eu3+/nano-La2O3 showed better photoluminescence property, nearly equal to that of nanocrtstal-line La2O3:Eu3+. Tb4O7 microwires showed interesting photoluminescence properties.     

Synthesis and enhanced photoluminescence properties of red emitting divalent ion (Ca2+) doped Eu:Y2O3 nanophosphors for optoelectronic applications

This work presents the synthesis of Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺,xCa²⁺ (x = 0 mol%, 1 mol%, 3 mol%, 5 mol%, 7 mol%, 9 mol%, 11 mol%) nanophosphors with enhanced photoluminescence properties through a facile solution combustion method for optoelectronic, display, and lighting applications. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the proposed nanophosphor reveal its structural properties and crystalline nature. The transmission electron microscope (TEM) results confirm the change in the shape of the particle and aggregation of particles after co-doping with Ca²⁺. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and Raman vibrations also confirm the presence of Y–O vibration and subsequently explain the crystalline nature, structural properties, and purity of the samples. All the synthesized nanophosphors samples emit intense red emission at 613 nm (⁵D₀→⁷F₂) under excitation with 235, 394 and 466 nm wavelengths of Eu³⁺ ions. The photoluminescence (PL) emission spectra excited with 235 nm illustrate the highest emission peak with two other emission peaks excited with 466 and 394 nm that is 1.4 times higher than 466 nm and 1.9 times enhanced by 394 nm wavelength, respectively. The emission intensity of Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺,xCa²⁺ (5 mol%) is increased 8-fold as compared to Eu:Y₂O₃. Doping with Ca²⁺ ions enhances the emission intensity of Eu:Y₂O₃ nanophosphors due to an increase in energy transfer in Ca²⁺→Eu³⁺ through asymmetry in the crystal field and by introduction of radiative defect centers through oxygen vacancies in the yttria matrix. It is also observed that the optical band gap and the lifetime of the ⁵D₀ level of Eu³⁺ ions in Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺,xCa²⁺ nanophosphor sample gets changed with a doping concentration of Ca²⁺ ions. Nanophosphor also reveals high thermal stability and quantum yield as estimating activation energy of 0.25 eV and 81%, respectively. CIE, CCT, and color purity values (>98%) show an improved red-emitting nanophosphor in the warm region of light, which makes this material superior with a specific potential application for UV-based white LEDs with security ink, display devices, and various other optoelectronics devices.