Controllable synthesis of Eu3+ ions doped Zn(OH)F and ZnO micro-structures: Phase, morphology and luminescence property

Eu3+ ions doped Zn(OH)F and ZnO micro-structures with specific morphologies were synthesized by a simple hydrothermal method only through altering the addition amount of NH4F and hexamethylenetetramine (HMT). The phase structure, morphology and luminescence properties of the as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), photoluminescence (PL) spectra and lifetime. The results indicate that the obtained Zn(OH)F:Eu3+ samples possess net-like and dandelion-like morphologies, which have an identical orthorhombic phase structure. It is found that the addition amount of raw materials such as NH4F and HMT plays a critical role for the formation of Zn(OH)F:Eu3+. If the addition amounts of NH4F or HMT are reduced by half, the hexagonal ZnO:Eu3+ sample with peanut-like morphology can be obtained. Under the excitation of UV light, both the as-prepared Zn(OH)F:Eu3+ and ZnO:Eu3+ samples exhibit the characteristic emission of the doped Eu3+. (C) 2019 Chinese Society of Rare Earths. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.