Multifunctional luminescent nanofibres from Eu3+-doped La2O2SO4 with enhanced oxygen storage capability

Abstract

The controlled synthesis of La2O2SO4:Eu3+ nanofibres (NF) for luminescent applications is presented here for the first time. Three dimensional nanofibrous structures with average diameter of 90 nm were prepared successfully. Eu3+ ions were further doped to study the luminescent property and phase structure. A strong red luminescence was obtained at the as-prepared NF. High asymmetry ratio (R) in the emission spectrum indicated that the Eu3+ ions were located in a distorted cation environment and the luminescent NF obtained possessed a good colour purity. The emission intensity of the resulting NF varied with different Eu3+ contents with the best emission brightness obtained at 20% Eu3+ doping. An 18% improved luminescence decay time at a relative lower annealing temperature (650 °C) was obtained for the nanofibrous structure when compared to the corresponding bulk materials (BM). The quantum efficiency (QE) of the as-synthesised NF was found to be 6.3%, which was 17% enhanced from the QE of BM (5.4%). Oxidation activity of NF compared to BM was measured using Temperature-Programmed Reduction (TPR). The TPR peak temperature for the consumption of hydrogen was decreased 12% with the employment of NF, suggesting well improved oxygen storage capability of the resulting NF. Our results indicate the multifunctional applications of the resulting NF in different fields such as optics and oxygen storage.