Synthesis of Fluorescent Eu-Doped InVO₄ Nanocrystals by Using In(OH)₃ Templates with Controlled Morphologies

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Inorganic Chemistry

Background:

• Indium-based nanomaterials are of interest for various applications.
• Controlling nanocrystal morphology is crucial for tuning properties.
• Developing efficient luminescent materials requires understanding energy transfer mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize In(OH)₃ nanocrystals with controlled morphologies.
• To develop InVO₄ nanocrystals using In(OH)₃ as sacrificial templates.
• To investigate the luminescent properties and energy transfer in doped InVO₄.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal synthesis of In(OH)₃ nanocrystals (rods, cubes, spheres).
• Morphology and crystallinity control via growth speed and ascorbic acid.
• Phase transformation of In(OH)₃ templates to InVO₄.
• Doping with rare-earth Europium (Eu) ions.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized In(OH)₃ nanocrystals with distinct morphologies.
• Achieved size-controllable InVO₄ from rods/cubes and hollow micro-spheres from spheres.
• InVO₄ exhibited yellow emission at 517 nm.
• Demonstrated efficient excitation energy transfer from vanadate to Eu ions in doped InVO₄.

Conclusions:

• Morphology-tunable InVO₄ nanocrystals can be synthesized via sacrificial In(OH)₃ templates.
• The synthesized InVO₄ shows promising luminescent properties.
• Effective energy transfer facilitates the development of novel doped luminescent materials.