Facile synthesis and luminescence properties of uniform and monodisperse KY 3F 10:Ln 3+ (Ln=Eu, Ce, Tb) nanospheres

Abstract

Highly uniform and monodisperse KY 3F 10:Ln 3+ (Ln=Eu, Ce, Tb) nanospheres, with an average diameter of 300 nm, have been successfully prepared through a simple template-free and surfactant-free stirring method under ambient conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and photoluminescence (PL) spectra were used to characterize the samples. The SEM images illustrate that these spheres were actually composed of randomly aggregated nanoparticles. The doped rare earth ions show their characteristic emission in the KY 3F 10 samples, i.e., Eu 3+ 5D 0– 7F J ( J=1, 2, 3, 4), Tb 3+ 5D 4– 7F J ( J=6, 5, 4, 3, 2) and Ce 3+ 5d–4f transition emissions, respectively. An energy transfer phenomenon from Ce 3+ to Tb 3+ has been observed in KY 3F 10 nanospheres, and the energy transfer efficiency depends on the doping concentration of Tb 3+ if the concentration of Ce 3+ is fixed.