Cerium phosphate nanotubes: Synthesis, valence state, and optical properties

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/anie.200461171

A strong blue emission is observed for hybrid Ce³⁺/Ce ⁴⁺ cerium phosphate nanotubes, whereas Ce³⁺ phosphate nanowires exhibit a characteristic double-peak UV luminescence (see picture). These cerium phosphate systems were obtained by annealing novel cerium(IV) phosphate nanotubes at different temperatures.

Full text of DOI:10.1002/anie.200461171

Communications
Nanomaterials
synthesized nanotubes led to a mixture of valence states,
and the desired Ce3+/Ce4+ hybrid phosphate nanotubes were
obtained for the first time. The nanotubes display novel
optical properties; that is, the Ce4+ ions effectively absorb the
UV light, whereas the Ce3+ ions exhibit strong emission in the
blue region of a photoluminescence spectrum.
It has been reported that a high PO4/Ce ratio (20:1–120:1)
in the initial solution and a high reaction temperature (up to
958C) are needed to form a CeP fiber.[7,8] In this study, we
have increased the PO4/Ce ratio to 300:1 and increased the
reaction temperature to above 958C. Figures 1a–d show the
scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of a CeP
material synthesized at 70, 90, and 1058C, respectively. A
fibrous structure can be found for all the samples examined,
although an amorphous phase may exist in a lower temper-
ature product (ca. 50–808C), and some microcrystalline
Cerium Phosphate Nanotubes: Synthesis, Valence
State, and Optical Properties**
Chengchun Tang,* Yoshio Bando, Dmitri Golberg, and
Renzhi Ma
Metal phosphates are widely utilized in nonlinear optical
materials, phosphors, sensors, heat-resistant, and biocompat-
ible materials. A particular emphasis has been placed on the
study of rare-earth or rare-earth-doped phosphate materials
for applications in photonic devices.[1] This interest is primar-
ily attributed to the position of the 4f electrons, which are well
shielded from the effects of the neighboring ions. Such
shielding leads to discrete and well-defined energy level
schemes, as well as to rather weak coupling between the
electronic and vibrational wave functions. The specific
luminescence with a characteristic long lifetime originates
from the f–f emissions. However, at present, the progress with
regard to new luminescent materials is chiefly focussed on
short emission wavelengths, which are useful for imaging,
lithography, and optical data recording.[2] The rare-earth ions
Ce3+ and Sm2+ exhibit a 5d–4f emission with a larger
absorption in the UV region and a shorter luminescence
lifetime due to allowed electric dipole transitions; thus, they
display excellent properties for applications in these fields.[3]
On the other hand, although the doping of transparent Ce4+
ions in luminescence materials has been prohibited due to the
competitive absorption in UV region, some Ce3+/Ce4+ hybrid
systems in glass hosts exhibit a strong blue emission, which
possibly results from electron transfer from a donor level to
the neighboring Ce4+ ions, consequently forming excited
states of Ce3+ ions.[4] Taking into account the strong UV
absorption of Ce4+ ions, such hybrid structures are good
candidates for materials that display blue emission with high
absorption and fast emissive rates.[5]
particles are visible in
a higher temperature product
(> 958C). X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements indicate
that the CeP material displays different crystalline structures,
depending on the reaction temperature (Figure 1e). The
XRD patterns of a CeP sample synthesized at temperatures
lower than 708C show broad peaks and a peak at about 7.88
One-dimensional nanomaterials, that is, nanotubes made
of, for example, C, BN, WS2, VOx, TiO2, and InP[6] have been
synthesized and display novel properties that are frequently
different from those of the bulk forms. However, the synthesis
and emission behaviour of nanotube-like hybrid materials
containing Ce4+/Ce3+ ions has received much less attention.
Herein, we report on a reproducible and controllable
route for the production of cerium phosphate nanotubes, the
first rare-earth phosphate nanotubes. Tetravalent cerium
phosphate (CeP, Ce(HPO4)2·nH2O) nanotubes were first
synthesized after improving the traditional synthetic route
toward a CeP fiber.[7] Subsequent annealing of the as-
[*] Dr. C. Tang, Prof. Y. Bando, Dr. D. Golberg, Dr. R. Ma
Advanced Materials Laboratory
National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)
1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 (Japan)
Fax: (+81)29-851-6280
E-mail: tang.chengchun@nims.go.jp
Figure 1. SEM images of a CeP nanomaterial synthesized at 70 (a), 90
(b), and 1058C (c, d). e) The representative XRD patterns recorded for
the products synthesized at different temperatures.
[**] We thank Y. Uemura and R. Xie for their help in the measurement of
the absorption spectra.
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DOI: 10.1002/anie.200461171
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Angewandte
Chemie
(2q), d = 1.12 nm, indicating a layered structure. Thermogra-
vimetric analyses indicate that the water content in CeP varies
from n = ꢀ 2 to ꢀ 3, depending on the temperature at which
the synthesis was carried out. The comparison of the d spacing
and the relative intensities measured for the XRD patterns
with those of a CeP (Ce(HPO4)2·H2O) fiber,[8] reveal a fairly
good agreement, except for a slightly expanded layer-to-layer
distance (d = 1.10 nm, the difference may result from the
variations in the water content in CeP). Though the detailed
crystal structure is still unknown, the present pattern can be
readily indexed to an orthorhombic structure (a = 1.494, b =
1.436, c = 0.906 nm). On increasing the temperature, the CeP
nanomaterial gradually changes its morphology (Figure 1).
An XRD pattern of CeP synthesized at 1058C can be indexed
to a hexagonal structure with the lattice parameters (a =
1.668, c = 0.678 nm). Thermogravimetric analysis suggested
that the formula of the novel phase was Ce(HPO4)2·H2O. The
two phases coexist from 90 to 1008C, but the orthorhombic
phase is rarely observed when the synthesis temperature is
higher than 1008C.
An important consequence of the temperature-dependent
transformation is the appearance of a nanotube-like mor-
phology. The CeP material synthesized below 908C usually
comprises solid fibers with diameters ranging from several
tens of nanometers up to about 500 nm (Figure 1a and b).
However, the diameters of the nanofibers of the CeP material
synthesized at 1058C are smaller and more unified in size (20
to 100 nm; see the transmission electron microscope (TEM)
image in Figure 2a). The nanotubes become the dominant
morphology, though some nanofibers with a diameter of
several tens of nanometers can be occasionally observed.
Figure 2b shows the magnified image of an individual nano-
tube. The nanotubes are usually open at their tips. The tubular
morphology was verified by tilting the sample in the trans-
mission electron microscope, while recording the correspond-
ing selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern (inset,
Figure 2b). The pattern recorded along the [110] zone axis
clearly exhibits the “zigzag”-type chirality of a tubular shell.[9]
Although the CeP nanotubes were unstable under irradiation
with an electron beam, we were able to obtain high-resolution
TEM images that confirmed the nanotube-like morphology
(Figure 2c).
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) can usually
provide clear information about the valence state of Ce;
however, in this study it was not applied because minor
amorphous and/or microcrystal impurities exist in the prod-
ucts. Therefore, the chemical valence of the cerium ions
within an individual CeP nanotube was determined by using a
parallel electron energy loss spectrometer (EELS), taking
into consideration that the occupancy of the 4f shell of light
lanthanides is sensitive to the ratio of the 3d3/2!4f5/2 (M4) to
3d5/2!4f7/2 (M5) peak areas.[10]The EEL spectrum of the CeP
nanotubes (Figure 2d) contains the features consistent with
the multiplet structure of the 3d94f2 final states (M5 at ca.
884 eV and M4 at ca. 901 eV).[11] The extra peaks, about 7 eV
higher in energy than the M4 and M5 lines, respectively, are
clearly detected, indicating the existence of Ce4+.[12] The fitted
M4/M5 ratio for the EEL spectrum is about 1.20:1; thus, in
accord with the reference M4/M5 values of 0.78:1 for trivalent
cerium orthophosphate and 1.1:1 for CeO2,[10] the Ce4+ states
should be present, although there has been much debate
concerning the existence of pure Ce4+.
The temperature-dependent stability of Ce valences in
CeP nanotubes was analyzed by using a temperature-con-
trolled annealing procedure under a reduced atmosphere.
Such an atmosphere can maintain the one-dimensional
morphology up to about 9008C (Figure 3a), although the
formation of glass-phase particles is visible in the SEM images
(dark contrast areas within the fibers). The TEM images
indicate that no nanotubes were present in the sample heat-
treated at 9008C. The initial nanotubes are thus completely
transformed into solid fibers. Figure 3b displays a high-
resolution TEM image of a polycrystalline nanowire with
diameters similar to those of the starting nanotubes. However,
Figure 2. CeP nanotubes synthesized at 1058C: a) Low-magnification TEM image revealing a tube-like morphology; b) TEM image of a nanotube
and its corresponding SAED pattern; c) high-resolution TEM image of a nanotube with a diameter of about 20 nm; d) EEL spectrum displaying
the characteristics for a tetravalent cerium ion.
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Communications
spectrum with an absorption extension of
300–450 nm is caused by the Ce4+ ions,
since their d-electron exited states exhibit
strong electron–phonon coupling.[13] It is
noteworthy that the absorption peaks
attributed to the f–d electron transitions
of Ce3+ (200–320 nm), can be observed in
the samples heat-treated at a temperature
higher than 3008C. The absorption spec-
trum of a sample annealed at 6008C
consists of two overlapping patterns orig-
inating from Ce4+ bands (cutoff wave-
length ca. 420 nm) and Ce3+ lines (visible
absorptions at 210 and 235 nm). The
absorption spectrum of CeP nanowires
produced by heat treatment at 9008C
contains the characteristic peaks of Ce3+
with maxima at 208, 216, 227, 261, and
275 nm within an f–d transition absorption
band. These peaks correspond to the
theoretical values (203–276 nm) of Ce3+
f–d transitions from a 4f1 ground state to
the five 5d1 levels split within a monoclinic
crystal field.[14] The absorption character-
istics are in good agreement with the
mixed-valence state mentioned above.
Figure 4b displays the photolumines-
cence (PL) spectra. No luminescence was
Figure 3. a) SEM image of CeP nanowires synthesized by annealing CeP nanotubes at 9008C, b) the
corresponding high-resolution TEM image; the inset in b) is the SAED pattern recorded for an individ-
ual nanowire; c) TEM image of CeP nanotubes annealed at 6008C; d) EEL spectra, and e) XRD patterns
for the annealed samples.
the nanotubes represent a dominant morphology in the CeP
products prepared at a relatively low temperature. The CeP
nanotubes post-treated at 6008C are shown in Figure 3c; the
SAED pattern taken from the arrowed tip area clearly
indicates a glass-like structure at the tip (inset).
The EEL spectra recorded for an individual nanotube
(6008C) and a nanowire (9008C) are shown in Figure 3d. The
measured M4/M5 ratio decreases from about 0.95:1 (6008C) to
about 0.79:1 (9008C). Given that the ratio of about 0.79:1 is in
a good agreement with the previously reported value for
cerium(iii) orthophosphate,[10] we assume that the CeP
material produced during the heat treatment at 9008C
mainly contains trivalent cerium. By assuming a linear
interpolation between the M4/M5 values for Ce4+ (1.20:1)
and Ce3+ (0.79:1), a nominal valence of + 3.34 was calculated
for the cerium in CeP heated at 6008C.
The XRD pattern recorded for CeP nanowires (Fig-
ure 3e) can be indexed to a monoclinic structure for which the
peak positions and intensities are similar to those of trivalent
monazite CePO4 (JCPDS 32-0199). Analysis of the patterns
obtained from CeP nanotubes post-treated at 6008C seems to
indicate that the trivalent phase is also present here, but there
are only traces of it in an amorphous matrix.
Figure 4a displays the UV/Vis spectra of the CeP nano-
tubes and their post-treated products. Tetravalent CeP nano-
tubes that have not been heat-treated can absorb UV light,
almost completely, with the cutoff wavelength of about
450 nm. The cutoff wavelength shifts to about 420 nm, when
the CeP nanotubes are treated at 3008C. The nonlinear
Figure 4. Absorption (a) and photoluminescence (b) spectra of CeP
nanotubes and their products post-heat-treated at 300, 600, and
9008C.
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Chemie
CeP nanotubes can be synthesized at 1058C. Although we have
observed for the as-synthesized CeP nanotubes due to the
absence of Ce3+. The pure trivalent CeP nanowires exhibit
strong UV luminescence; the two sharp peaks are centered at
about 348 nm and about 385 nm with a full-width at half
maximum (FWHM) of about 12 nm and about 30 nm,
respectively. The double-peak luminescence corresponds to
the direct emission from the 2D(5d1) state to the two split 4f1
not fully clarified the growth mechanism, we believe that the
appearance of nanotubes is related to the morphology of the initial
condensed linear polyphosphate at the different temperatures. The
as-synthesized CeP nanotubes were further heated in a flowing
mixture of argon and ammonia (volume ratio of 20:1). A heating rate
of 50 Khꢁ1 was used to allow a smooth structure modification.
The products were analyzed by using an X-ray diffractometer
with CuKa radiation, a differential thermal and thermogravimetric
apparatus, a UV/Vis spectrometer, a photoluminescence spectrom-
eter (He-Cd laser, lexc = 325 nm), a scanning electron microscope, and
a transmission electron microscope (TEM, JEOL 3000F). A Gatan
DigiPEELS 766 parallel detection spectrometer attached to the latter
microscope was used to collect electron energy loss spectra from an
individual nanotube.
2
2
ground states of F5/2 and F7/2 caused by spin-orbit coupling.
The small FWHM values also imply that the exited state of
Ce3+ is scarcely affected by the charge transfer transitions
from the host ligands. In contrast to pure Ce3+ nanowires and
Ce4+ nanotubes, the PL spectra of the Ce3+/Ce4+ hybrid CeP
nanotubes exhibit a strong blue luminescence. A broad and
prominent blue emission at about 490 nm is visible for the
Ce+3.34P nanotubes (heated at 6008C; Figure 4b). Such a
broad, blue emission for Ce3+ ions has been observed and
attributed to a charge transfer.[4,15] The charge transfer
between Ce4+ electron donation centers and Ce3+ lumines-
cence centers in the present nanotubes may occur due to the
electron–photon interaction. It has been reported that the 4f–
5d bands of Ce3+ and the charge-transfer transition bands of
Ce4+ ions appear in the same wavelength range and over-
lap.[16] Therefore, Ce4+ bands form the exited state and cause
the blue emission. We also noticed that the intensity of the
blue emission depends on the concentration of Ce3+ in a Ce4+
phosphate host. The hybrid CeP nanotubes heat-treated at
3008C exhibit a weak blue emission. The direct emission of
Ce3+ ions can be observed as an additional broad peak
between 330 and 380 nm (see arrow in Figure 4b).
In summary, the first rare-earth metal phosphate nano-
tubes made of CeP have been synthesized by careful control
of the composition of the reactants and the reaction temper-
ature. Under post-heat treatments in a reduced atmosphere,
the tubular morphology was maintained up to about 9008C.
Further increase in the temperature results in the formation
of nanowires, and leads to valence change from + 4 to + 3 for
the cerium ion. Strong blue and UV luminescence was
observed for the Ce3+/Ce4+ hybrid nanotubes and pure Ce3+
nanowires, respectively. Taking into account the short emis-
sion lifetime (a few ns) of Ce3+, CeP one-dimensional
nanostructures and, in particular, valence-hybrid nanotubes
developed in the present work are promising candidates for
light-emission-diode lamps, electroluminescence devices,
non-mercury-fluorescent lamps, and plasma display panels.
Received: July 3, 2004
Published online: December 21, 2004
Keywords: hybrid materials · luminescence · nanostructures ·
nanotubes · scanning probe microscopy
.
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Experimental Section
CeP nanotubes were prepared according to the procedure reported
by Alberti et al,[7,8] though a higher reaction temperature range and
reactant PO4/Ce concentration ratio were used in the present work.
The apparatus utilized was similar to that employed by Ali et al[17] to
prepare phosphate salts. In our experiments, a 6m aqueous phospho-
ric acid solution was first heated to a temperature ranging from 50 to
1108C, and stirred for 4 h to form a condensed linear polyphosphate
(PnO3n+1)
(n+2)ꢁ. A 0.02m aqueous solution of diammonium cerium(iv)
nitrate was added dropwise to the phosphoric acid solution (care was
taken during the addition to keep the temperature fluctuations to less
than 28C), and the mixture was allowed to react for 2 h. After washing
with water, a flexible, cellulose paperlike material was obtained,
suggesting a fibrous morphology.
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