Flexible Janus nanofiber to acquire tuned and enhanced simultaneous magnetism-luminescence bifunctionality

A novel nanostructure of [CoFe₂O₄/PVP]//[YAG:7 % Tb³⁺/PVP] magnetic-luminescent bifunctional Janus nanofibers has been successfully fabricated via electrospinning technology using a homemade parallel spinneret. Electrospun YAG:7 % Tb³⁺ luminescent nanofibers and CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanofibers were respectively incorporated into polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) matrix and electrospun into Janus nanofibers with CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanofibers/PVP as one strand nanofiber and YAG:7 % Tb³⁺ luminescent nanofibers/PVP as another strand nanofiber. [CoFe₂O₄/PVP]//[YAG:7 % Tb³⁺/PVP] magnetic-luminescent bifunctional Janus nanofibers possess superior magnetic and luminescent properties due to their peculiar nanostructure, and the luminescent characteristics and saturation magnetizations of the Janus nanofibers can be tuned by adding various amounts of YAG:7 % Tb³⁺ luminescent nanofibers and CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanofibers. Compared with CoFe₂O₄/YAG:7 % Tb³⁺/PVP composite nanofibers, the magnetic-luminescent bifunctional Janus nanofibers provide higher performances due to isolating YAG:7 %Tb³⁺ luminescent nanofibers from CoFe₂O₄ magnetic nanofibers. Formation mechanism of [CoFe₂O₄/PVP]//[YAG:7 % Tb³⁺/PVP] Janus nanofibers is also presented. The design conception and construction technology are of universal significance to fabricate other bifunctional Janus nanofibers.     

Coaxial electrospinning preparation and properties of magnetic–photoluminescent bifunctional CoFe2O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ coaxial nanofibers

CoFe₂O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ magnetic–fluorescent bifunctional coaxial nanofibers have been successfully obtained via calcination of the [CoFe₂O₄/PVP]@[(Y(NO₃)₃ + Eu(NO₃)₃)/PVP] composite coaxial nanofibers which were fabricated by coaxial electrospinning technique. The diameter of CoFe₂O₄@Y₂O₃:5 %Eu³⁺ magnetic–fluorescent bifunctional coaxial nanofibers was 133 ± 17 nm. Strong fluorescence emission peaks of Eu³⁺ in the CoFe₂O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ coaxial nanofibers were observed and assigned to ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (588 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (593 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (599 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (612 nm) and ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (630 nm) energy levels transitions of Eu³⁺ ions, and the predominant emission peak was located at 612 nm. Compared with CoFe₂O₄/Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ composite nanofibers, CoFe₂O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ magnetic–fluorescent bifunctional coaxial nanofibers simultaneously provided higher magnetism and fluorescent intensity. The color, photoluminescent intensity and magnetism of the coaxial nanofibers can be tuned via adjusting the diversity and content of fluorescent compounds and the content of magnetic compounds. Formation mechanism of CoFe₂O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ coaxial nanofibers was also presented. The bifunctional magnetic–photoluminescent CoFe₂O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ coaxial nanofibers have potential applications in many fields due to their excellent magnetism and fluorescence.     

A new strategy to assemble enhanced magnetic–photoluminescent bifunction into a flexible nanofiber

A new type of magnetic–photoluminescent bifunctional [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) flexible composite nanofibers were successfully prepared via electrospinning through dispersing Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ core–shell structured nanoparticles (NPs) into the PVP matrix. The structure, morphology, and properties of the flexible composite nanofibers were investigated by X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and fluorescence spectroscopy. The diameter of [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PVP nanofibers is ca. 128.57 ± 36.72 nm. Fluorescence emission peaks of Eu³⁺ in both Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ NPs and [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PVP nanofibers are observed and assigned to the energy levels transitions of ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₀ (580 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (533, 586, 592, 599 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (612 nm), and ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₃ (629 nm) of Eu³⁺ ions. Compared with Fe₃O₄/Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺/PVP nanofibers, [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PVP nanofibers possess much stronger luminescence. The as-prepared [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PVP flexible composite nanofibers simultaneously exhibit excellent magnetism and photoluminescent performance. The intensities of magnetism and luminescence of the composite nanofibers can be simultaneously tuned by adjusting the amount of Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ NPs introduced into the nanofibers. The high performance [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PVP flexible composite nanofibers have potential applications in bioimaging, cell separation, and future nanomechanics.     

A new tactics to fabricate flexible nanobelts with enhanced magnetic–luminescent bifunction

Novel magnetic–photoluminescent bifunctional [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) flexible composite nanobelts were successfully prepared by electrospinning via dispersing Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ core–shell structured nanoparticles (NPs) into the PMMA matrix. The morphology, structure and properties of the flexible composite nanobelts were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. The width and thickness of [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PMMA composite nanobelts are 3.58 ± 0.29 and 1.2 μm, respectively. Fluorescence emission peaks of Eu³⁺ in [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PMMA flexible composite nanobelts are observed and assigned to the energy levels transitions of ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₀ (580 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (533, 586, 592, 599 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (612 nm) and ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₃ (629 nm) of Eu³⁺ ions. Compared with Fe₃O₄/Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺/PMMA nanobelts, [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PMMA flexible composite nanobelts possess much stronger luminescent intensity. The as-prepared flexible composite nanobelts exhibit excellent magnetism and photoluminescent performance. The intensities of magnetism and luminescence of the flexible composite nanobelts can be simultaneously tuned by adjusting the amount of Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ NPs introduced into the nanobelts. The high performance [Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺]/PMMA flexible composite nanobelts have potential applications in the fields of cell separation, magnetic resonance imaging, drug deliver and future nanodevices.     

Fabrication of magnetic-luminescent bifunctional composite nanofibers via facile electrospinning

Fe₃O₄/Eu(BA)₃phen/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) magnetic-luminescent bifunctional composite nanofibers have been successfully fabricated based on ferroferric oxide (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles (NPs) and europium complexes Eu(BA)₃phen (BA = benzoic acid, phen = phenanthroline) via electrospinning technology. The as-prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometry, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometry. The as-prepared Fe₃O₄/Eu(BA)₃phen/PVP composite nanofibers possess good fibrous morphology, and Fe₃O₄ NPs are evenly dispersed into nanofibers. Under the excitation of 274-nm ultraviolet light, Fe₃O₄/Eu(BA)₃phen/PVP composite nanofibers exhibit red emissions of predominant peaks at 592 and 616 nm, which are respectively attributed to the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ and ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ energy levels transitions of Eu³⁺ ions. The optimum mass percentage of Eu(BA)₃phen to PVP is 15 %. The fluorescence intensity of composite nanofibers is decreased when more Fe₃O₄ NPs were added. The saturation magnetization is increased with the increase of Fe₃O₄ NPs, indicating that the magnetism of the composite nanofibers can be tuned by adjusting Fe₃O₄ NPs content. The magnetic-luminescent bifunctional composite nanofibers are expected to apply in the fields of cell separation and biological labeling imaging, etc.     

Study on terbium doped lanthanum oxybromide luminescent nanoribbons and nanofibers

Terbium doped lanthanum oxybromide (LaOBr:Tb³⁺) nanoribbons and nanofibers were successfully synthesized by double-crucible bromination of the electrospinning-derived La₂O₃:Tb³⁺ nanoribbons and nanofibers using NH₄Br powders as the bromine source. The structure and morphology of the samples were investigated by X-ray diffractometry and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanoribbons and nanofibers were pure tetragonal in structure with space group of P4/nmm. The width of LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanoribbons were 2.33 ± 0.33 μm and the diameter of LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanofibers was 90.08 ± 15.19 nm. The photoluminescent properties of LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanoribbons and nanofibers were also characterized systematically. Under the excitation of 253-nm ultraviolet light, LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanostructures exhibit the green emission of predominant peak at 543 nm. The optimum doping molar concentration of Tb³⁺ ions in the LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanoribbons is 5 %. Interestingly, the luminescence intensity of LaOBr:5 %Tb³⁺ nanofibers is obviously greater than that of LaOBr:5 %Tb³⁺ nanoribbons under the same measuring conditions. Moreover, the luminescence colors of LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanostructures are located in the green region in Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage chromaticity coordinates diagram. The mechanism of double-crucible bromination method was also proposed. This new bromination technique not only can inherit the morphology of rare earth oxides precursor, but also can be used to fabricate pure-phase rare earth oxybromide at low temperature compared with conventional high temperature solid state bromination reaction method. LaOBr:Tb³⁺ nanostructures are promising nanomaterials for applications in the fields of light display systems and optoelectronic devices.     

Electrospun Fe3O4/PVP//Tb(BA)3phen/PVP magnetic–photoluminescent bifunctional bistrand aligned composite nanofibers bundles

Fe₃O₄/PVP//Tb(BA)₃phen/PVP magnetic–photoluminescent bifunctional bistrand aligned composite nanofibers bundles based on Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) and terbium complex Tb(BA)₃phen (BA = benzoic acid) were fabricated by employing a parallel axial electrospinning setup and were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and vibrating sample magnetometer. It is found that Fe₃O₄ NPs were only dispersed into one strand of the bistrand aligned composite nanofibers bundles, but no nanoparticles in the other strand. And the average diameter of the individual strand fiber was 200 ± 25 nm. The bistrand aligned composite nanofibers bundles exhibit strong green emissions under the excitation of 275 nm ultraviolet light, and the ⁵ D ₄ → ⁷ F ₅ hypersensitive transition at 545 nm was the predominant emission peak of Tb³⁺ ions. The newly obtained bifunctional nanofibers bundles exhibit excellent magnetism and high fluorescence intensity and are expected to apply in biology cell separation, magnetic resonance imaging, drug deliver, and fluorescence immunoassays/imaging.     

Janus nanofiber: a new strategy to achieve simultaneous enhanced magnetic-photoluminescent bifunction

Magnetic-photoluminescent bifunctional Janus nanofibers have been successfully fabricated by electrospinning technology using a homemade parallel spinneret. NaYF₄:Eu³⁺ and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) were respectively incorporated into polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) and eleactrospun into Janus nanofibers with NaYF₄:Eu³⁺/PVP as one strand nanofiber and Fe₃O₄/PVP as another strand nanofiber. The morphologies, structures, magnetic and photoluminescent properties of the as-prepared samples were investigated in detail by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, vibrating sample magnetometry and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show Janus nanofibers simultaneously possess superior magnetic and luminescent properties due to their special structure, and the luminescent characteristics and saturation magnetizations of the Janus nanofibers can be tuned by adding various amounts of NaYF₄:Eu³⁺ NPs and Fe₃O₄ NPs. Compared with Fe₃O₄/NaYF₄:Eu³⁺/PVP composite nanofibers, the magnetic-photoluminescent bifunctional Janus nanofibers provide better performances due to isolating NaYF₄:Eu³⁺ NPs from Fe₃O₄ NPs. The novel magnetic-photoluminescent bifunctional Janus nanofibers have potential applications in the fields of new nano-bio-label materials, drug target delivery materials and future nanodevices owing to their excellent magnetic and luminescent performance. More importantly, the design conception and construction technology are of universal significance to fabricate other bifunctional Janus nanofibers.     

Fabrication and luminescence properties of YF3:Eu3+ hollow nanofibers via coaxial electrospinning combined with fluorination technique

Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)–PVP/[Y(NO₃)₃ + Eu(NO₃)₃] core–sheath composite nanofibers were prepared by coaxial electrospinning, and then Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers were synthesized by calcination of the as-prepared composite nanofibers. For the first time, YF₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers were successfully fabricated by fluorination of the Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers via a double-crucible method using NH₄HF₂ as fluorinating agent. The morphology and properties of the products were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), and fluorescence spectrometer. YF₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers were pure orthorhombic phase with space group Pnma and were hollow-centered structure with the mean diameter of 211 ± 29 nm. Fluorescence emission peaks of Eu³⁺ in the YF₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers were observed and assigned to the energy levels transitions of ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (587 and 593 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (615 and 620 nm), and the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ hypersensitive transition at 593 nm was the dominant emission peak. Moreover, the emitting colors of YF₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers were located in the red region in CIE chromaticity coordinates diagram. The luminescent intensity of YF₃:Eu³⁺ hollow nanofibers was increased remarkably with the increasing doping concentration of Eu³⁺ ions and reached a maximum at 7 mol% of Eu³⁺. This preparation technique could be applied to prepare other rare earth fluoride hollow nanofibers.     

Photoluminescence–electricity–magnetism trifunction simultaneously assembled into one flexible nanofiber

In order to develop new-typed multifunctional composite nanofibers, Eu(BA)₃phen/PANI/Fe₃O₄/PVP trifunctional composite nanofibers with photoluminescence, electricity and magnetism have been successfully fabricated via electrospinning technology. Polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) is used as a matrix to construct composite nanofibers containing different amounts of Eu(BA)₃phen, polyaniline (PANI) and magnetite Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs). X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry, fluorescence spectroscopy and Hall effect measurement system are used to characterize the morphology and properties of the obtained composite nanofibers. The results indicate that the trifunctional composite nanofibers possess excellent luminescent, electrical conductivity and magnetic properties. Fluorescence emission peaks of Eu³⁺ are observed in the Eu(BA)₃phen/PANI/Fe₃O₄/PVP photoluminescent-electrical-magnetism trifunctional composite nanofibers and assigned to the of ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₀ (580 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (593 nm) of Eu³⁺, and the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ hypersensitive transition at 615 nm is the predominant emission peak. The electrical conductivity reaches up to the order of 10^?3 S/cm. The luminescent intensity, electrical conductivity and saturation magnetization of the composite nanofibers can be tunable by adding various amounts of Eu(BA)₃phen, PANI and Fe₃O₄ NPs. The multifunctional composite nanofibers are expected to possess many potential applications in areas such as electromagnetic interference shielding, microwave absorption, molecular electronics and biomedicine.     

Fabrication and luminescence of YF3:Tb3+ hollow nanofibers

YF₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers were successfully fabricated via fluorination of the relevant Y₂O₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers which were obtained by calcining the electrospun PVP/[Y(NO₃)₃ + Tb(NO₃)₃] composite nanofibers. The morphology and properties of the products were investigated in detail by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, transmission electron microscope, and fluorescence spectrometer. YF₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers were pure orthorhombic phase with space group Pnma and were hollow-centered structure with the mean diameter of 148 ± 23 nm. Fluorescence emission peaks of Tb³⁺ in the YF₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers were observed and assigned to the energy levels transitions of ⁵D₄ → ⁷F_J (J = 6, 5, 4, 3) (490, 543, 588, and 620 nm) of Tb³⁺ ions, and the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ hypersensitive transition at 543 nm was the dominant emission peak. Moreover, the emitting colors of YF₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers were located in the green region in CIE chromaticity coordinates diagram. The luminescent intensity of YF₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers was increased remarkably with the increasing doping concentration of Tb³⁺ ions and reached a maximum at 7 mol% of Tb³⁺. The possible formation mechanism of YF₃:Tb³⁺ hollow nanofibers was also discussed. This preparation technique could be applied to prepare other rare earth fluoride hollow nanofibers.     

Structure and magnetic property of CoFe2−xSmxO4 (x = 0–0.2) nanofibers prepared by sol–gel route

CoFe_2−xSm_xO₄ (x = 0–0.2) nanofibers with diameters about 100–300 nm have been prepared using the organic gel-thermal decomposition method. The composition, structure and magnetic properties of the CoFe_2−xSm_xO₄ nanofibers were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, inductive coupling plasma mass analyzer and vibrating sample magnetometer. The CoFe_2−xSm_xO₄ (x = 0–0.2) nanofibers obtained at 500–700 °C are of a single spinel structure. But, at 800 °C with a relatively high Sm content of 0.15–0.2 the spinel CoFe_2−xSm_xO₄ ferrite is unstable and the second phase of perovskite SmFeO₃ occurs. The crystalline grain sizes of the CoFe_2−xSm_xO₄ nanofibers decrease with Sm contents, while increase with the calcination temperature. This grain reduction effect of the Sm³⁺ ions doping is largely owing to the lattice strain and stress induced by the substitution of Fe³⁺ ions with larger Sm³⁺ ions in the ferrite. The saturation magnetization and coercivity increase with the crystallite size in the range of 8.8–57.3 nm, while decrease with the Sm content from 0 to 0.2 owing to a smaller magnetic moment of Sm³⁺ ions. The perovskite SmFeO₃ in the composite nanofibers may contribute to a high coercivity due to the interface pinning, lattice distortion and stress in the ferrite grain boundary fixing and hindering the domain wall motion.     

Electrospinning fabrication of color-tunable flexible composite nanofibers containing lanthanide ions

A novel color-tunable PVP/[Tb(BA)₃phen+Eu(BA)₃phen] luminescent composite nanofibers had been fabricated by single axial electrospinning. The morphology and elements components of the as-prepared nanofibers were characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The luminescent properties were systematically investigated by photoluminescence spectroscopy. The obtained nanofibers had excellent fibrous morphology and smooth surface, and the average diameter was about 200 nm. The novel luminescent composite nanofibers exhibited the green, orange and red fluorescence emission peaks at 490, 545, 592 and 616 nm, which were ascribed to the ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₆ (490 nm) and ⁵D₄ → ⁷F₅ (545 nm) energy transitions of Tb³⁺ ions, and the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁ (592 nm), ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (616 nm) transitions of Eu³⁺ ions, respectively. The emitting color of the luminescent composite nanofibers could be tuned by adjusting the mass ratio of terbium complexes and europium complexes in a wide color range of red-yellow-green under the excitation of 274-nm single-wavelength ultraviolet light. The color-tunable luminescent composite nanofibers have potential applications in the fields of display panels, lasers and bioimaging.     

Photocatalytic activity of magnetically separable La-doped TiO2/CoFe2O4 nanofibers prepared by two-spinneret electrospinning

A novel magnetically separable composite photocatalyst—〈La-doped TiO₂〉/CoFe₂O₄ nanofiber—was prepared by a two-spinneret electrospinning method combined with sol–gel method. The nanofibers were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). It was shown that the diameter of 〈1.0% La-doped TiO₂〉/CoFe₂O₄ nanofibers was 100–150 nm after calcination at 600 °C for 2 h. EDS and XPS measurements on the photocatalytic material indicated the existence of La³⁺ oxidation states in 〈1.0% La-doped TiO₂〉/CoFe₂O₄ nanofibers. The photocatalytic activity of as-prepared nanofibers was evaluated using methylene blue (MB) as a model organic compound and the result revealed that the 〈1.0% La-doped TiO₂〉/CoFe₂O₄ nanofibers have an efficient photocatalytic property, and the degradation rate of MB could reach 93% in 150 min. Moreover, the magnetic property of the nanofibers has also been characterized, and the nanofibers show a good magnetic response, which indicates that the possibility of the magnetic nanofibers’ potential recycling property.     

Magnetic and luminescent properties of Fe3O4@Y2O3:Eu3+ nanocomposites

The multifunctional Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ nanocomposites were prepared by a facile solvothermal method with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as the core and europium-doped yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺) as the shell. It is shown that Fe₃O₄@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ nanocomposites have a strong photoluminescence and special saturation magnetization Ms of 6.1 emu/g at room temperature. The effects of the magnetic field on the luminescence intensities of the nanocomposites are being discussed. The multifunctional nanocomposites with magnetic resonance response and fluorescence probe properties may be useful in biomedical applications, such as cell separation and bioimaging.     

A single flexible nanofiber to obtain simultaneous tunable color-electricity bifunctionality

For the purpose of developing new-typed multifunctional composite nanofibers, novel composite nanofibers with tunable color-electricity bifunctionality have been successfully fabricated via facile one-pot electrospinning technology. The obtained bifunctional composite nanofibers are composed of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) as the matrix, Tb(BA)₃phen and Eu(BA)₃phen (BA = benzoic acid, phen = phenanthroline) as luminescence materials and polyaniline (PANI) as conductive material. Scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, fluorescence spectroscopy and Hall effect measurement system are used to characterize the morphology structure and properties of the [Tb(BA)₃phen + Eu(BA)₃phen]/PANI/PVP composite nanofibers. The results indicate that the bifunctional composite nanofibers possess excellent photo luminescence and electrical conduction. The emitting color of the luminescent composite nanofibers can be tuned by adjusting the mass ratios of Tb(BA)₃phen, Eu(BA)₃phen and PANI in a wide color range of red-yellow-green under the excitation of 297-nm single-wavelength ultraviolet light. The electrical conductivity reaches up to the order of 10^?4 S/cm. The luminescent intensity and electrical conductivity of the composite nanofibers can be tunable by adding various amounts of Tb(BA)₃phen, Eu(BA)₃phen and PANI. The bifunctional composite nanofibers are expected to possess many potential applications in areas such as color display, electromagnetic shielding, molecular electronics and biomedicine.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of Yb3+–Er3+ co-doped LaOCl nanostructures

LaOCl:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanofibers and hollow nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning combined with a double-crucible chlorination technique using NH₄Cl as chlorinating agent. X-ray powder diffraction analysis indicated that LaOCl:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanostructures were tetragonal with space group P4/nmm. Scanning electron microscope analysis and histograms revealed that diameters of LaOCl:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanofibers and hollow nanofibers, respectively, were 117.87 ± 15.48 and 141.09 ± 17.10 nm under the 95 % confidence level. Up-conversion (UC) emission spectra analysis manifested that LaOCl:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanostructures exhibited strong green and red UC emission centering at 526, 548, and 671 nm, respectively, attributed to ²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2, and ⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_l5/2 transitions of Er³⁺ ions under the excitation of a 980-nm diode laser. It was found that the relative intensities of green and red emissions vary obviously with the addition of Yb³⁺ ions, and the optimized molar ratio of Yb³⁺ to Er³⁺ was 10:1 in the as-prepared nanofibers. Moreover, the near-infrared characteristic emissions of LaOCl:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanostructures were achieved under the excitation of a 532-nm laser. CIE analysis demonstrated that color-tuned luminescence can be obtained by changing doping concentration of Yb³⁺ (and/or Er³⁺) ions and morphologies of nanomaterials, which could be applied in the fields of optical telecommunication and optoelectronic devices. The UC luminescent mechanism and the formation mechanisms of LaOCl:Yb³⁺, Er³⁺ nanofibers and hollow nanofibers were also proposed.     

Fabrication of Er3+-doped LaOCl nanostructures with upconversion and near-infrared luminescence performances

LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanofibers and nanobelts were prepared by electrospinning combined with a double-crucible chlorination technique using NH₄Cl powders as chlorinating agent. X-ray powder diffraction analysis indicated that LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanostructures were tetragonal with space group P4/nmm. Scanning electron microscope analysis and histograms revealed that diameter of LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanofibers and the width of nanobelts respectively were 161.15 ± 18.11 nm and 6.11 ± 0.19 μm under the 95 % confidence level, and the thickness of nanobelts was 116 nm. Up-conversion (UC) emission spectra analysis manifested that LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanostructures exhibited strong green and red UC emission centering at 525, 548 and 671 nm, respectively attributed to ²H_11/2 → ⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2 → ⁴I_15/2 and ⁴F_9/2 → ⁴I_l5/2 energy levels transitions of Er³⁺ ions under the excitation of a 980-nm diode laser. It was found that the relative intensities of green and red emissions vary obviously with the changing of concentration of Er³⁺ ions, and the optimum molar percentage of Er³⁺/(La³⁺+Er³⁺) ions was 5 % in the LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanostructures. The LaOCl:x %Er³⁺ nanobelts have higher UC emission (both red and green) intensity than the counterpart nanofibers. Moreover, the near-infrared characteristic emissions of LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanostructures were achieved under the excitation of a 532-nm laser. Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage analysis demonstrated that color-tuned luminescence can be obtained by changing doping concentration of Er³⁺ ions, which could be applied in the fields of optical telecommunication and optoelectronic devices. The UC luminescent mechanism of LaOCl:Er³⁺ nanostructures were also proposed.     

Pulsed laser deposition of cobalt ferrite in a reactive O2:N2 atmosphere: effect of the deposition pressure and temperature

Thin films of CoFe₂O₄ have been fabricated by pulsed laser ablation of a metallic CoFe₂ target at two different temperatures (200 and 400 °C) and in various O₂:N₂, 20:80 pressures [from 0.7 Pa (5×10^-3 Torr) up to 26.7 Pa (2×10^-1 Torr)]. Too low pressures resulted in an insufficient oxidation of the deposited material and an antiferromagnetic (Fe,Co)O phase is observed together with CoFe₂O₄. A minimum pressure of 6.7 Pa was found necessary to obtain pure CoFe₂O₄ films with magnetic properties close to the bulk. The higher the pressure and the temperature, the larger was the roughness of the films. The optimum deposition temperature and pressure to obtain flat (3 nm rms roughness) CoFe₂O₄ films were, respectively, 200 °C and 6.7 Pa.     

Flexible special-structured Janus nanofiber synchronously endued with tunable trifunctionality of enhanced photoluminescence,electrical conductivity and superparamagnetism

We report a facile and highly-effective method to assemble luminescent–magnetic–electrical tri-functionalities into the special-structured Janus nanofibers. Novel and brand-new flexible special-structured [coaxial nanocable]//[nanofiber] Janus nanofibers synchronously endued with tuned and enhanced luminescent–magnetic–electrical trifunctionality have been prepared via electrospinning technology using a homemade coaxis//monoaxis spinneret for the first time. Each special-structured Janus nanofiber consists of a coaxial nanocable made of Fe₃O₄/PVP core and Eu(BA)₃phen/PVP shell as a half side with luminescent–magnetic bifunctionality and polyaniline (PANI)/PVP nanofiber as the other half side with electrically conductive functionality. The special and novel Janus nanofiber not only can guarantee effective separation of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (NPs) and PANI from rare earth complex, but also ensure the continuity of PANI in the matrix. It is satisfactorily found that the luminescent intensity of the novel special-structured Janus nanofibers respectively reaches up to 10 and 22 times higher than those of counterpart conventional [nanofiber]//[nanofiber] Janus nanofibers and composite nanofibers owing to its peculiar nanostructure. Compared with the counterpart conventional Janus nanofibers of two independent partitions, coaxial nanocable is used as one side of the special-structured Janus nanofiber instead of nanofiber, and three independent partitions are successfully realized in the special-structured Janus nanofiber, thus the interferences among various functions are further reduced, leading to the fact that more excellent multifunctionalities can be obtained. The novel Janus nanofibers possess excellent fluorescence, superparamagnetism and electric conductivity, and further, these performances can be respectively tunable via modulating the respective Eu(BA)₃phen, Fe₃O₄ and PANI contents. The design philosophy and the construction technique for the special-structured Janus nanofibers are of universal significance for the fabrication of other multifunctional Janus nanofiber of various performances.