Structural and luminescent properties of (Eu,Tb)PO4·H2O nanorods/nanowires prepared by microwave technique

Nanowires/nanorods of europium/terbium orthophosphate monohydrate with Eu3+ concentration of 6, 11, and 20 at.% were prepared by microwave synthesis method. The effects of Eu3+ doping concentration on structure, morphology and optical properties of nanomaterials were also investigated. The results showed that, for all studied Eu3+ doping concentrations, a single-crystalline phase of rhabdophane-type (Eu,Tb)PO4·H2O nanowires/nanorods was obtained by using microwave heating of an aqueous solution of terbium(III) nitrate, europium(III) nitrate and NH4H2PO4 with pH=2. The length and width of these nanowires/nanorods ranged from 150 to 300 nm and from 10 to 50 nm, respectively. The evidence of energy transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ due to the energy overlap between the donor Tb3+ and the acceptor Eu3+ was observed obviously via a significant enhancement in the luminescent intensity of Eu3+.