Synthesis and Magnetic-Luminescent Multifunctional Properties of Fe3O4@SiO2@Y2O3:Eu3+ Core-Shell-Shell Nanocomposite

Hydrothermal synthesized magnetite nanospheres, Fe3O4, have been encapsulated with silica shell and then with luminescent phosphors Y2O3:Eu3+ to fabricate magnetic-luminescent multifunctional core-shell-shell nanoparticles Fe3O4@SiO2@Y2O3:Eu3+. A combination of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometer, and photoluminescence spectrometer was used to characterize the samples. The obtained Fe3O4@SiO2@Y2O3:Eu3+ core-shell-shell nanocomposites show uniform and clear cladding layers with total thickness of 35 nm. It exhibits high saturation magnetizations MS of 31.9 emu/g and negligible coercivity at room temperature and a strong red emission peak originating from the D-5(0) -> F-7(2) transition of Eu3+ at 609 nm under UV excitation. This magnetic-luminescent multifunctional material may have potential application in targeted drugs.