Hydrothermal synthesis and photoluminescence properties of La2-xEuxSn2O7 (x=0-2.0) nanocrystals

This work presents the hydrothermal synthesis and photoluminescence (PL) properties of La2-xEuxSn2O7 (x=0-2.0) nanocrystals. The complex stannates with different La/Eu ratios ranging between La2Sn2O7 and Eu2Sn2O7 have been synthesized and characterized with respect to crystal structure, particle size and crystal morphology, and PL properties using x-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and PL spectroscopy. XRD and TEM results reveal that all the products are single-phase cubic pyrochlore-type La2-xEuxSn2O7 nanocrystals with a diameter of 20 nm. Furthermore, PL spectra of the La2-xEuxSn2O7 (x=0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2.0) nanocrystals showed three intense and prevailing emission peaks located at 587, 593, and 598 nm belonging to the D-5(0) -> (7)F(1)magnetic dipole transition.