Optical properties of porous Sm[formula omitted]-doped yttrium orthophosphate nanoparticles tailored by co-precipitation route.

Abstract Sm 3 + doped yttrium orthophosphate nanoparticles with porous structure was synthesized via simple co-precipitation method. The structure, the morphology and the elemental composition of the tailored nanoparticles were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX). Under the influence of trisodium citrate, Sm 3 + doped YPO 4 phosphor with porous structure could be synthesized. Under our reaction conditions, Sm 3 + doped YPO 4 nanophosphor crystallize in the hexagonal structure, as confirmed by the powder XRD patterns. The formation of porous structure turned out to be an essential step for the peculiar luminescent properties. The porosity undoubtedly enlarges the surface of the semiconductor/air interface, resulting in suppression of the non-radiative recombination channels. The tailored porous yttrium orthophosphate nanoparticles significantly displayed potentiality in the field of optical displays and also demonstrated the applicability in the biological field. Highlights • Utilization of trisodium citrate to control the crystal structure and morphology. • Selective adsorption of Cit 3 − to different facets leads to the growth of porous architecture. • Hexagonal system shows good luminescence property due to its porous structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]