Characterization of highly luminescent LaPO ₄:Eu ³⁺/LaPO ₄ one-dimensional core/shell heterostructures

Highly luminescent LaPO ₄:Eu ³⁺/LaPO ₄ one-dimensional (1D) core/shell heterostructures were successfully synthesized by a mild and simple self-aggregation process under refluxing or hydrothermal conditions. The resulting 1D core/shell heterostructures were characterized using a variety of techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) to demonstrate successful coating by the crystalline LaPO ₄. In addition, a possible formation mechanism for this core/shell heterostructure was proposed. Finally, the photoluminescence property of the LaPO ₄:Eu ³⁺/LaPO ₄ 1D core/shell heterostructures was investigated in detail, which illustrates that the core/shell heterostructures remarkably increase the luminescence efficiency because the LaPO ₄ shells effectively eliminate surface trap-states and suppress the energy quenching in the energy-transfer processes.