Crystal structures and optical properties of new quaternary strontium europium aluminate luminescent nanoribbons

We report the synthesis and characterization of three series of new quaternary strontium europium aluminate (Sr-Eu-Al-O; SEAO) luminescent nanoribbons that show blue, green, and yellow luminescence from localized Eu²⁺ luminescent centers. These three series of SEAO nanoribbons are: blue luminescent, tetragonal Sr_1-xEu_xAl₆O₁₀ (0 < x < 1) (b-SEAO), green luminescent, monoclinic Sr_1-xEu_xAl₂O₄ (0 < x < 1) (g-SEAO), and yellow luminescent, hexagonal Sr_1-xEu_xAl₂O₄ (0 < x < 1) (y-SEAO). Among these three series of SEAO nanoribbons, the b-SEAOs and y-SEAOs are new compounds that have not been reported before. The crystal structures of the SEAO nanoribbons were comprehensively studied using various synchrotron X-ray diffraction techniques and the effects of crystal structures on materials' luminescence properties were investigated. These one-dimensional SEAO luminescent nanoribbons can function as both light generators and waveguides, and thus have promising potential as the building blocks in miniaturized photonic circuitry.