Luminescent properties of YBO3:Eu3+ nanosheets and microstructural materials consisting of nanounits

Pure hexagonal-phased YBO3:Eu3+ nanocrystals (NCs) including nanosheets (NSs), bundles of nanobelts (NBs) and quasi-spheres composed of nanotubes (NTs) were prepared by hydrothermal method. The results indicate that in NCs, there exist two symmetry sites of Eu3+ ions, the interior (A) and the surface (B), while there exists only one interior site (A) in the bulk. It is important to observe that the electronic transition rate of 5D0-Σj 7FJ of Eu3+ at the surface site is improved 3–5 times than that of the interior site.