Rapid microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of SrWO4:Eu3+ nanowires and their luminescence properties

SrWO4:Eu3+ nanowires were synthesized at 160 °C within 10 min via a microwave-assisted hydrothermal method. In examining the influences of synthesis temperature and reaction time on the morphology of nanowires, it was found that any temperatures and reaction time except 160 °C and 10 min gave rise to poorer morphologies under otherwise equal conditions. The synthesized nanowires were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy(HRTEM), energy dispersive X-ray(EDX) and Raman spectrometry, respectively. The results suggest that the samples are homogenous and dispersive single phase nanowires. The photoluminescence properties of the nanowires were determined with a spectrofluorometer. Two obviously sharp peaks at 395 and 464 nm and a broad peak centered at 290 nm were found in their excitation spectrum. Under excitation at 395 and 464 nm, the 5D0→7F2 transition is the dominant process which means Eu3+ ion is located at a low symmetry site, while the 5D0→7F1 transition dominates under the excitation at 290 nm, showing a highly symmetric field around the Eu3+ ion, which indicates the presence of the two local Eu3+ environments.