Eu3+ doped K-Lu-F system optical materials: controlling synthesis, phase evolution, and optical properties

Using a hydrothermal method, by adjusting the reactant ratios, the hydrothermal temperatures, the hydrothermal time, and the pH values of prepared solutions, 1 mol.% Eu3+ doped K-Lu-F system optical materials were synthesized under control. For comparison, the sample was also synthesized by a co-precipitation method. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results suggested that the final crystalline phases had great relations with the hydrothermal synthesis conditions. The field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) images and the energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) patterns indicated that the morphologies and the components of some representative samples also varied with the synthesis conditions. Eu3+, acting as a probe, exhibited different optical properties in the K-Lu-F system optical materials, which also indirectly proved the phase evolution of the final products. The results suggested that there were many crystalline phases with different symmetry in the K-Lu-F system. They would be good host matrices for the emitters.

Graphical AbstractFE-SEM images and EDS patterns of samples LupH1 (a), (b) and LupH12 (c), (d), respectivelyFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide