Preparation and characteristics of Fe3O4@YVO4:Eu3+ bifunctional magnetic–luminescent nanocomposites

A facile direct precipitation method has been developed for the synthesis of bifunctional magnetic–luminescent nanocomposites with Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the core and YVO4:Eu3+ as the shell. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the obtained bifunctional nanocomposites had a core–shell structure and a spherical morphology. The average size was ∼150 nm, and the thickness of the shell was ∼15 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that a cubic spinel structure of Fe3O4 core and a tetragonal phase of YVO4 shell were obtained. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra confirmed that the YVO4:Eu3+ had been successfully deposited on the surface of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicated that the nanocomposites displayed a strong red characteristic emission of Eu3+. Magnetic measurements showed that the obtained bifunctional nanocomposites exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. Therefore, the bifunctional nanocomposites are expected to develop many potential applications in biomedical fields.

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► Bifunctional magnetic-luminescent nanocomposites with Fe3O4 nanoparticles as the core and YVO4:Eu3+ as the shell.
► A cubic spinel structrue of Fe3O4 core and a tetragonal phase of YVO4 shell were obtained.
► The nanocomposites displayed a strong red emission and superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature.