6533b82ffe1ef96bd129491a

RESEARCH PRODUCT

Pressure-induced amorphization of YVO4:Eu3+ nanoboxes

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description

A structural transformation from the zircon-type structure to an amorphous phase has been found in YVO4:Eu3+ nanoboxes at high pressures above 12.7 GPa by means of x-ray diffraction measurements. However, the pair distribution function of the high-pressure phase shows that the local structure of the amorphous phase is similar to the scheelite-type YVO4. These results are confirmed both by Raman spectroscopy and Eu3+ photoluminescence which detect the phase transition to a scheelite-type structure at 10.1 and 9.1 GPa, respectively. The irreversibility of the phase transition is observed with the three techniques after a maximum pressure in the upstroke of around 20 GPa. The existence of two D-5(0)-> F-7(0) photoluminescence peaks confirms the existence of two local environments for Eu3+, at least for the low-pressure phase. One environment is the expected for substituting Y3+ and the other is likely a disordered environment possibly found at the surface of the nanoboxes.