Room-Temperature and One-Minute Synthesis of Alcohol-Soluble and Ultra-Small Eu-Doped CaMoO 4 Nanoparticles

Abstract

Lanthanide (Ln3+) doped alkaline earth metal molybdates (AMoO4, A=Ca, Sr, Mg) have been widely investigated owing to their excellent photoluminescent properties.Alcohol-soluble and ultra-small Eu3+-doped CaMoO4 nanocrystals are prepared at room temperature within one minute using a propionic acid/propylamine-assisted method. Short-chain propionic acid and propylamine are employed as the capping agents, which is crucial for alcohol-soluble ability, controlling particle size and passivating surface defects. The X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope characterizations reveal that the Eu 3+-doped CaMoO 4 nanoparticles have a pure tetragonal scheelite structure and an average particle size of 3.4 nm. Under UV light or high-energy X-ray excitation, Eu3+-doped CaMoO4 nanocrystals exhibit the intense characteristic emission of Eu3+ ions, which show a great potential application in high-quality display, bio-imaging, and radiation detection.