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 nanocrtstalline La₂O₃:Eu³⁺. Tb₄O₇ microwires showed interesting photoluminescence properties.