Two series of β-NaYF 4:Ln 3+ nanoparticles (Ln = La-Nd, Sm-Lu) containing 20 at. % and 40 at. % of Ln 3+ with well-defined morphology and size were synthesized via a facile citric-acid-assisted hydrothermal method using rare-earth chlorides as the precursors. The materials were composed from the particles that have a shape of uniform hexagonal prisms with an approximate size of 80-1100 nm. The mean diameter of NaYF 4:Ln 3+ crystals non-monotonically depended on the lanthanide atomic number and the minimum size was observed for Gd 3+-doped materials. At the same time, the unit cell parameters decreased from La to Lu according to XRD data analysis. The diameter-to-length ratio increased from La to Lu in both studied series. The effect of the doping lanthanide(III) ion nature on particle size and shape was explained in terms of crystal growth dynamics. This study reports the correlation between the nanoparticle morphologies and the type and content of doping lanthanide ions. The obtained results shed light on the understanding of intrinsic factors' effect on structural features of the nanocrystalline materials.

Original languageEnglish
Article number2972
Number of pages12
JournalNanomaterials
Volume12
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2022

    Research areas

  • NaYF, crystal growth mechanism, hydrothermal synthesis, lanthanides, microparticles, nanocrystals, nanoparticles, rare earth

    Scopus subject areas

  • Chemical Engineering(all)
  • Materials Science(all)

ID: 98392583