Controlled Synthesis and Characterization of Nanostructured EuF₃ with Different Crystalline Phases and Morphologies

Abstract

A variety of nanostructured EuF 3 with different crystalline phases and morphologies have been prepared via a simple solution route employing the reactions between Eu(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O and fluoride sources XF (X = K +, H +, NH 4 +, Na +, Rb +, and Cs + ) under ambient conditions. The cations of the fluoride sources were found to determine the crystal structures and morphologies of the as-prepared nanostructured EuF 3 . X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that the reaction of Eu(NO 3 ) 3 ·6H 2 O with KF or HF yielded nanostructured EuF 3 with hexagonal structure, while orthorhombic EuF 3 crystals were obtained in the reactions with NH 4 F, NaF, RbF, or CsF. Different nanostructures including incomplete hollow nanoplates, spherical nanoparticle aggregates, branched tree-like ramified nanostructures, nanorods, and nanowires have been prepared. The luminescent properties of the nanostructured EuF 3 have also been studied.