Morphology-controlled synthesis, characterization, growth mechanism of SmOHCO3 with high uniform size and photoluminescence property of SmOHCO3:Eu3 +

Octahedral and spherical SmOHCO3 particles with uniform sizes had been successfully synthesized on a large scale by a simple hydrothermal method using (NH2)2CO as the precipitant without any complex agent. The SmOHCO3 crystal was characterized by X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field-emission scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence. The molar ratio of (NH2)2CO to Sm3 +, reaction temperature and reaction time had crucial influences on the morphology and microstructure evolution of the SmOHCO3 crystal. The possible formation mechanisms for the octahedral and spherical SmOHCO3 were proposed. The synthesis and optical properties of SmOHCO3:Eu3 + microcrystals under ultraviolet light excitation were investigated. More importantly, the results showed that the SmOHCO3:Eu3 + samples obtained by using different dosages of (NH2)2CO exhibited interesting morphology-dependent optical properties. Furthermore, this general and facile method might be of much significance in the synthesis of many other lanthanide compounds with various morphology and new optical properties.