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For the first time, uniform octahedral-shaped Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ submicron single crystals with photoluminescence (PL) superior to the as-prepared aggregated spherical counterparts were prepared via a room-temperature solid-state metathesis reaction and subsequent calcination of the as-milled mixtures containing an in situ formed salt as by-product. Their formation mechanism is also discussed based on preferential growth and self-assembling of nanocrystals in the presence of the salt. In summary, the approach promises a great potential in the large scale preparation of octahedral Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ submicron phosphors due to its solvent-free, addictive-free, high-yielding and eco-friendly characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The perovskite single-crystalline LaMnO3 nanocubes have been fabricated through a facile salt-assisted solution combustion process, using ethylene glycol as a fuel and corresponding nitrates as oxidants. The effects of the fuel-to-oxidant molar ratio and the fraction of added NaCl on the phase and microstructure of the products were investigated by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and selected area electron diffraction. The possible mechanism about the effect of molten salt on morphological evolution of the as-prepared LaMnO3 particles in salt-assisted solution combustion synthesis was also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

For the past two decades, the reported magnesium-based gasochromic switchable mirrors have been limited to magnesium alloys. Herein, inspired by the excellent catalytic property of TiO 2 for the magnesium‑hydrogen reaction, the novel gasochromic switchable mirrors based on Pd/Mg-TiO 2 films were fabricated by magnetron sputtering and their optical properties, microstructures and structure-function relationship were investigated in this study. The results show that the mirror based on Pd/0.9Mg-0.1TiO 2 film exhibits larger optical dynamic range at visible wavelengths and excellent structural recovery even after 100 cycles of hydrogenation and dehydrogenation compared with Pd/Mg film. The brookite TiO 2 , crystalline Mg and some amorphous phases coexist in the Mg-TiO 2 layer of Pd/0.9Mg-0.1TiO 2 film with no trace of Pd. Interestingly, the TiO 2 nanocrystal clusters are distributed in stripe among Mg matrix. In contrast, the Pd/0.63Mg-0.37TiO 2 film consists of crystalline Mg and MgTi 2 O 5 phase, where MgTi 2 O 5 phase is derived from the reaction of superfluous TiO 2 with a part of Mg and deteriorates the optical properties of the mirror dramatically. In summary, this work offers a novel strategy for improving optical performance of Mg-based switchable mirrors by introducing metal oxides into switchable layer and uncovers a broad field to be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Rice ball shaped - Fe2O3 microstructures have been synthesized using a single-step Fe(NO3)3 solution calcination route without the assistance of any other additions. A series of techniques, including XRD, XPS, FE-SEM and DLS ones, were used to characterize the product. Thermogravimetric (TG) analysis provided insight into the decomposition process of the Fe(NO3)3 precursor. A possible growth mechanism of the rice ball shaped - Fe2O3 microstructures was explained. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]