Synthesis of luminescent KY3F10 nanopowder multi-doped with lanthanide ions by a co-precipitation method

A series of KY3F10 nanophosphors doped with Gd3+, Ce3+ and Eu3+ ions were obtained with the use of a co-precipitation method. The resulting products were white precipitates, consisting of spherical particles with diameter about 150–200 nm, which was confirmed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) technique. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) measurements confirmed appropriate structures of the nanoparticles obtained. Spectroscopic properties of the products were examined on the basis of the measured excitation/emission spectra and luminescence decay curves. The synthesized samples showed orange-red luminescence, characteristic for Eu3+ ions. The reaction process was performed in required alkaline pH adjusted with the use of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and potassium hydroxide. The samples containing large amounts of Gd3+ dopant ions exhibited a tendency to form products with different morphologies.

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