Long-distance lanthanide migration regulated by interfacial lattice strain in nanostructures

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology
• Solid State Chemistry

Background:

• Interfacial strain engineering is crucial for heterostructured nanomaterials.
• Regulating strain at the nanoscale remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish a controllable model system for regulating interfacial lattice strain in lanthanide-doped core-shell-shell nanolattices.
• To investigate the role of lattice mismatch in lanthanide ion diffusion and its impact on crystal growth and optical properties.

Main Methods:

• Tuning lanthanide composition and shell deposition rate to control interfacial strain.
• Utilizing hexagonal-phase NaErF4@NaYF4@NaLnF4 nanolattices.
• Analyzing lanthanide ion migration and crystal growth using advanced characterization techniques.

Main Results:

• Lattice mismatch exceeding 5.1% induces lanthanide ion migration up to 13 nm along the <1000> direction.
• Interfacial strain promotes anisotropic shell growth and formation of lanthanide vacancies.
• Strain directly dictates ion diffusion, structural evolution, and optical properties.

Conclusions:

• Interfacial strain is a key regulator of ion diffusion and structural evolution in heterostructured nanocrystals.
• This work provides a design principle for spatially confining active ions in nanomaterials.
• Potential applications include bioimaging, nanocatalysis, and quantum information technology.