Solvothermal synthesis of disk-like YF3 superstructures

Uniform orthorhombic YF3 disk-like superstructures have been fabricated for the first time via a facile solvothermal method with ethanol as solvent in the presence of triethylenetetramine. The diameters and thicknesses of the disks are 700–1150 nm and 150–250 nm, respectively. The influence of triethylenetetramine on the morphology development has been experimentally investigated. Results show that the triethylenetetramine played a crucial role in the formation of the disk-like YF3 superstructures. Also 5% Eu3+-doped disk-like YF3 superstructures have been prepared. The most intense peaks of the europium doped materials are centered at 586 and 592 nm under the excitation of 395 nm ultraviolet light. Both materials have been characterized by XRD (X-ray diffraction), EDS (energy dispersive spectra), FTIR (FT-IR spectra), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), HRTEM (high resolution transmission electron microscopy), SAED (selected area diffraction), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The possible mechanism of the formation of the disk-like superstructures is briefly discussed.