Selective synthesis of hexagonal and monoclinic LaPO4:Eu3+ nanorods by a hydrothermal method

The hexagonal and monoclinic LaPO4:Eu3+ nanorods can be selectively synthesized through a simple hydrothermal method by only adjusting the reaction temperature. Hexagonal and monoclinic LaPO4:Eu3+ nanorods can be prepared at 120 and 180 degrees C, respectively. The phase conversion of LaPO4:Eu3+ under different temperatures is investigated in detail. Moreover, the influence of the temperature on the intensity and the shift of the peaks of the excitation and emission spectra is discussed, and the decay lifetime of the Eu3+ ions of the sample obtained at different temperature also have been investigated in this paper.

Phase transformation and photoluminescence properties of nanocrystalline ZrO2 powders prepared via the Pechini-type sol-gel process

Nanocrystalline ZrO2 fine powders were prepared via the Pechini-type sol-gel process followed by annealing from 500 to 1000 degrees C. The obtained ZrO2 samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and photoluminescence spectra (PL), respectively. The phase transition process from tetragonal (T) to monoclinic (M) was observed for the nanocrystalline ZrO2 powders in the annealing process, accompanied by the change of their photoluminescence properties. The 500 degrees C annealed ZrO2, powder with tetragonal structure shows an intense whitish blue emission (lambda(max) = 425 nm) with a wide range of excitation (230-400 nm). This emission decreased in intensity after being annealed at 600 degrees C (T + M-ZrO2) and disappeared at 700 (T + M-ZrO2), 800 (T + M-ZrO2), and 900 degrees C (M-ZrO2). After further annealing at 1000 degrees C (M-ZrO2), a strong blue-green emission appeared again (lambda(max) = 470 nm).

Probabilistic distribution of one-phase structure seminvariants for an isomorphous pair of structures: Theoretical basis and initial applications

Given a special type of triplet of reciprocal-lattice vectors in the monoclinic and orthorhombic systems, there exist eight three-phase structure seminvariants (3PSSs) for a pair of isomorphous structures. The first neighborhood of each of these 3PSSs is defined by the six magnitudes and the joint probability distribution of the corresponding six structure factors is derived according to Hauptman's neighborhood principle. This distribution leads to the conditional probability distribution of each of the 3PSSs, assuming as known the six magnitudes in its first neighborhood. The conditional probability distributions can be directly used to yield the reliable estimates (0 or pi) of the one-phase structure seminvariants (1PSSs) in the favorable case that the variances of the distributions happen to be small [Hauptman (1975). Acta Cryst. A31, 680-687]. The relevant parameters in the formulas for the monoclinic and orthorhombic systems are given in a tabular form. The applications suggest that the method is efficient for estimating the 1PSSs with values of 0 or pi.

PROBABILISTIC ESTIMATION OF THE STRUCTURE SEMINVARIANTS IN THE MONOCLINIC AND ORTHORHOMBIC SYSTEMS WHEN ANOMALOUS SCATTERERS ARE PRESENT

The estimate formulas for the two-phase structure seminvariants (TPSSs) in the presence of anomalous scattering are obtained from the estimate of the two-phase structure invariants [Hauptman (1982). Acta Cryst. A38, 632-641; Giacovazzo (1983). Acta Cryst.

MOSSBAUER-EFFECT STUDIES OF THE PHASE-TRANSITION PROCESS IN EUROPIUM PENTAPHOSPHATE

Mossbauer spectra of europium pentaphosphate are measured at various temperatures (126 to 200-degrees-C). Some Mossbauer parameters, such as isomer shift, electric quadrupole splitting, and asymmetry parameter of the EFG at Eu-151 nuclei are derived from the experimental spectra. The lattice parameters of the crystal are determined at several temperatures. The experimental results indicate that the crystal structure of europium pentaphosphate changes from monoclinic to orthorhombic. All of the temperature dependences of the Mossbauer parameters provide evidence of a phase transition of the crystal. The phase transition temperature can be determined from the curve of the asymmetry parameter of EFG versus temperature to 165-degrees-C.