Non-conventional Ce:YAG nanostructures via urea complexes

Composite Nanostructures for the Production of White Light

In this work, two different composite nanostructures, YAG:Ce and Ga0.9In0.1N, were prepared by the Urea Glass Route method and tested for the production of white light. The first composite was prepared by synthetizing the Ga0.9In0.1N nanoparticles in the presence of YAG:Ce nanoparticles. The second one was prepared by synthetizing YAG:Ce nanoparticles in the presence of Ga0.9In0.1N nanoparticles. These systems can be useful for the production of white light. X-ray Diffraction and Transmission and Scanning Electron Microscopies (TEM and SEM) were used to evaluate their structural and morphological properties. Excitation and emission spectra, the quantum yield and colour of the emitted light were acquired to evaluate the optical properties of the systems.

Enhanced Visible-Light-Responsive Photocatalytic Degradation of Ciprofloxacin by the CuxO/Metal-Organic Framework Hybrid Nanocomposite

Ciprofloxacin (CIP) is a commonly used antibiotic, however, once in the environment, it is highly toxic with a poor biodegradability. Given these attributes, an effective strategy for the removal of CIP is urgently needed for the protection of water resources. Herein, a novel copper metal-organic framework (CuxO/MOF) multifunctional material has been produced, in this work, by the calcination of Cu-MOF urea at 300 °C, in the presence of a 5% H2 atmosphere. The morphological, structural, and thermal properties of the prepared CuxO/MOF were determined through various techniques, and its photocatalytic behavior was investigated for the degradation of CIP under visible-light irradiation. The prepared CuxO/MOF bifunctional material is presented as a graphitic carbon-layered structure with a particle size of 9.2 ± 2.1 nm. The existence of CuO-Cu2O-C, which was found on the CuxO/MOF surface, enhanced the adsorption efficiency and increased the photosensitivity of CuxO/MOF, towards the degradation of CIP in aqueous solutions. The tailored CuxO/MOF, not only shows an excellent CIP degradation efficiency of up to 92% with a constant kinetic rate (kobs) of 0.048 min−1 under visible light, but it can also retain the stable photodegradation efficiency of >85%, for at least six cycles. In addition, CuxO/MOF has an excellent adsorption capacity at pH 6.0 of the maximum Langmuir adsorption capacity of 34.5 mg g−1 for CIP. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that CuxO/MOF is a reliable integrated material and serves as an adsorbent and photocatalyst, which can open a new pathway for the preparation of visible-light-responsive photocatalysts, for the removal of antibiotics and other emerging pollutants.

Urea Glass Route as a Way to Optimize YAGG:Ce3+,Cr3+,Pr3+ Nanocrystals for Persistent Luminescence Applications

A new approach for the synthesis of Y₃Al₂Ga₃O₁₂ (YAGG) nanophosphors allowing the preparation of crystallites with sizes starting from 45 nm is presented. The controllability of the energy and trap density of the resulting material samples by annealing temperature was confirmed by thermoluminescence (TL) measurements. It has been shown that the annealing of samples at temperatures up to 1300 °C does not cause any substantial growth of crystallites, still remaining below 100 nm, but leads to changes in the activation energy of the persistent luminescence (PersL) process. On the other hand, annealing above 1400 °C results in grain growth on the submicron scale, which was confirmed by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and electron transmission microscopy (TEM) measurements. In addition, with an increase in the molar ratio of urea to the total amount of metals used (R), qualitative changes are observed in the PersL process occurring from the excited states of Cr³⁺ and Pr³⁺ ions. This proves the influence of the synthesis process, in particular of the metal complexation at its initial stage, on the final structure ordering in the annealed materials. These observations are linked to previously reported defects in the YAGG structure, leading to PersL.

Fast and Inexpensive Separation of Bright Phosphor Particles from Commercial Sources by Gravitational and Centrifugal Sedimentation for Deep Tissue X-ray Luminescence Imaging

X-ray luminescence tomography (XLT) detects X-ray scintillators contrast agents using a focused or collimated X-ray beam to provide high spatial resolution excitation through thick tissue. The approach requires bright nanophosphors that are either synthesized or purchased. However, currently available commercial nanophosphors are mostly composed of a polydisperse mixture of several micro- to nano-sized particles that are unsuitable for biomedical imaging applications because of their size and aggregated form. Here, we demonstrate a fast and robust method to obtain uniform nano to submicron phosphor particles from a commercial source of polydisperse Eu- and Tb-doped Gd2O2S particles by separating the smaller particles present using gravitational and centrifugal sedimentation. In contrast to ball milling for 15–60 min, which drastically degraded the particles’ brightness while reducing their size, our sedimentation method enabled the extraction of comparatively bright nanophosphors (≈100–300 nm in size) with a luminescence intensity of ≈10–20% of the several micron particles in the sample. Moreover, if scale up for higher yielding is required, the sedimentation process can be accelerated using fixed-angle and/or swinging bucket rotating centrifugation. Finally, after separation and characterization, nano and submicron phosphors were suspended and imaged through 5 mm thick porcine tissue using our in-house-built scanning X-ray induced luminescence chemical imaging (XELCI) system.

Temperature dependence of the local field effect in YAG:Ce3+ nanocomposites

The spontaneous emission rate (SER) of a chromophore in a nanoparticle (NP) is determined by the modification of the electric field by its environment. Previous studies of this local field effect have dispersed NPs in non-chemically interacting media of different refractive index (RI) and measured the emission lifetimes. Unfortunately, the applicable solvents cover only a small range of RI so that the test of a theoretical model is limited. We have utilized the variation of temperature to modify RI so that a more comprehensive test of a model can be achieved. Yttrium aluminium garnet (YAG) NPs doped with Ce³⁺ ions were immersed in different alcohols and the lifetime of the electric dipole allowed 5d¹→ 4f¹ transition was measured at different temperatures in each case. In order to clarify and confirm our results we have employed two different dopant concentrations of Ce/Y, near 1.3 at% and 0.13 at%. The Ce³⁺ lifetimes were well-fitted to a formula relating the decay rate to the dielectric parameters of the nanocomposite and the volumetric content of the NPs. Two parameters were derived: the SER of the bulk material (found to be effectively constant) and the nonradiative decay rate, which varied as the multiphonon relaxation rate for the more heavily-doped materials. The emission from the YAG:Ce³⁺ NPs was attributed to Ce³⁺ ions with 8-coordination to oxygen in addition to surface Ce³⁺ ions with lower coordination number. The bulk radiative lifetime was determined as 66 ± 3 ns.

Assessment of Crystalline Materials for Solid State Lighting Applications: Beyond the Rare Earth Elements

In everyday life, we are continually exposed to different lighting systems, from the home interior to car lights and from public lighting to displays. The basic emission principles on which they are based range from the old incandescent lamps to the well-established compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) and to the more modern Light Emitting Diode (LEDs) that are dominating the actual market and also promise greater development in the coming years. In the LED technology, the key point is the electroluminescence material, but the fundamental role of proper phosphors is sometimes underestimated even when it is essential for an ideal color rendering. In this review, we analyze the main solid-state techniques for lighting applications, paying attention to the fundamental properties of phosphors to be successfully applied. Currently, the most widely used materials are based on rare-earth elements (REEs) whereas Ce:YAG represents the benchmark for white LEDs. However, there are several drawbacks to the REEs’ supply chain and several concerns from an environmental point of view. We analyze these critical issues and review alternative materials that can overcome their use. New compounds with reduced or totally REE free, quantum dots, metal–organic framework, and organic phosphors will be examined with reference to the current state-of-the-art.

Multimetallic Oxynitrides Nanoparticles for a New Generation of Photocatalysts

A versatile synthetic strategy for the preparation of multimetallic oxynitrides has been designed and here exemplarily discussed considering the preparation of nanoscaled zinc-gallium oxynitrides and zinc-gallium-indium oxynitrides, two important photocatalysts of new generation, which proved to be active in key energy related processes from pollutant decomposition to overall water splitting. The synthesis presented here allows the preparation of small nanoparticles (less than 20 nm in average diameter), well-defined in size and shape, yet highly crystalline and with the highest surface area reported so far (up to 80 m²  g^-1 ). X-ray diffraction studies show that the final material is not a mixture of single oxides but a distinctive compound. The photocatalytic properties of the oxynitrides have been tested towards the decomposition of an organic dye (as a model reaction for the decomposition of air pollutants), showing better photocatalytic performances than the corresponding pure phases (reaction constant 0.22 h^-1 ), whereas almost no reaction was observed in absence of catalyst or in the dark. The photocatalysts have been also tested for H₂ evolution (semi-reaction of the water splitting process) with results comparable to the best literature values but leaving room for further improvement.

HfN Nanoparticles: An Unexplored Catalyst for the Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Water electrolysis is one of the most promising methods to produce H₂ and O₂ as high potential fuels. Comparing the two half-reactions, the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is the more difficult to be optimized and still relies on expensive noble metal-based catalysts such as Ru or Ir. In this paper, we prepared nanoparticles of HfN and Hf₂ ON₂ and tested them for the OER for the first time. The HfN sample, in particular, showed the highest activity, requiring an overpotential of only 358 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 in Fe-free electrolyte and, above all, exhibiting long-term stability. This result places this system amongst one of the most promising catalysts for OER tested to date, in terms of sustainability, activity and stability. The prepared nanoparticles are small (less than 15 nm in diameter), well-defined in shape and crystalline, and were characterised before and after electrochemical testing also via electron microscopy (EM), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

Nanodefects in YAG:Ce-Based Phosphor Microcrystals

The present paper focused on the study of spectral–kinetic characteristics of luminescence in two batches of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Ce-based phosphors synthesized in different years by two manufacturers: NPO “Platan” in Russia and “GrandLux” in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Upon studying the structural characteristics of the phosphors—elemental composition, morphology, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns—it was concluded that both types of YAG:Ce phosphors are highly imperfect. The presence of heterogeneities of different nature was accompanied by the introduction—to compensate for charges and elastic stresses—of intrinsic lattice defects during synthesis. There is a high probability of creating complex defects during phosphor synthesis. Luminescence properties (full width at half maximum (FWHM), spectral position of the emission peaks, excitation spectra of emission, emission decay time) are affected by the nearest environment of the luminescence center; whereas the degree of correlation of defects (distance between the components of the donor–acceptor pair) does not depend on the concentration of impurities, intrinsic defects, and their ratio. The results do not fit into the framework of existing ideas regarding the processes in phosphors as systems with widely distributed luminescence centers. The patterns obtained in the paper are discussed based on a hypothesis according to which a nanodefect phosphorus crystal phase is formed during the synthesis.