Raspite PbWO4 nanobelts: synthesis and properties

Abstract

Raspite PbWO4, which is rare in nature, poses a great challenge to laboratory preparation and only limited optical and spectroscopic investigations have been conducted on raspite PbWO4 crystals from nature. In this article, we report that raspite PbWO4 nanobelts can be obtained by a facile composite-salt-mediated synthesis method without using any surface-capping agent. The nanobelts are well crystallized with lengths up to hundreds of microns. The synthesis method is simple and cost effective. Our investigation demonstrates that the raspite PbWO4 nanobelts possess excellent blue–green luminescent property at low temperature and highly sensitive photocurrent response to light switches at room temperature. The growth mechanism of the raspite PbWO4 nanobelts, the structure characteristic and the luminescent mechanism are discussed in detail.