Luminescent BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ Nanoparticles for Detection of Pb²⁺ and Fe³⁺ Ions in Aqueous Solution

BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ nanoparticles and BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ co-doped Pb²⁺ nanoparticles were successfully synthesized via a solvothermal method at 140°C for 24 h, employing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as the solvent. From the x-ray diffraction (XRD) study, the prepared nanoparticles show a tetragonal system. The BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ nanoparticles exhibited strong luminescent behavior, which was significantly enhanced by a factor of two to three upon co-doping with Pb²⁺ ions. This enhancement is attributed to efficient energy transfer from Pb²⁺ to Dy³⁺ ions within the host lattice. Importantly, the BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ nanoparticles demonstrated selective luminescence enhancement in response to Pb²⁺ ions in aqueous media, whereas the BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ co-doped Pb²⁺ nanoparticles exhibited more luminescence quenching upon exposure to Fe³⁺ ions. These findings highlight the potential of BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ and BaWO₄:Dy³⁺ co-doped Pb²⁺ nanoparticles as effective probes for the selective detection of Pb²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions, respectively, in water-based environments.