Rare-earth-doped bifunctional alkaline-earth metal fluoride nanocrystals via a facile microwave-assisted process

Rare-earth-doped magnetic-optic bifunctional alkaline-earth metal fluoride nanocrystals have been successfully synthesized via a facile microwave-assisted process. The as-prepared nanocrystals were monodisperse and could form stable colloidal solutions in polar solvents, such as water and ethanol. They show bright-green fluorescence emisson. Furthermore, Gd(3+)-doped ones exhibit paramagnetic behavior at room temperature and superparamagnetic behavior at 2 K.