Nanocrystalline rare earth fluorides doped with Pr3+ ions

Praseodymium(III) doped CeF3, CeF3:Gd, LaF3, GdF3 and YF3 inorganic fluorides were precipitated in an aqueous, surfactant-free solution, using NH4F as a source of fluoride ions. The as-prepared products were subjected to a hydrothermal treatment, which led to the formation of crystalline nanoluminophores, composed of spherical (≈30 nm) and elongated (≈40–200 nm) nanostructures. Due to the presence of Pr3+ ions, the synthesized nanomaterials showed yellow luminescence under a blue light irradiation. The nanoluminophore based on the YF3 host revealed the most promising spectroscopic properties, i.e., bright and intensive emission, hence it was investigated in detail. The photophysical properties of the nanomaterials obtained were studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and spectrofluorometry, i.e., measurements of excitation/emission spectra and luminescence decay curves.

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