Bifunctional luminescent and magnetic core/shell type nanostructures

A facile co-precipitation and microemulsion methods were applied to obtain core/shell type nanoparticles. Cerium fluoride doped with terbium(III) ions supplied intensive green luminescence of the system. Due to the presence of magnetite nanoparticles as cores, the prod- uct was highly sensitive to external magnetic field. Both sorts of nanostructures were encapsulated by silica shell. Such external layer of inert oxide can potentially increase the resistance of prepared nanostructures to thermal oxidation, aggressive agents, changing of pH or destructive radiation. Morphology of the product was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Formations of the core/shell type nanos- tructures were clearly seen in the TEM pictures. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the structure of the products, their nanocrystallin- ity and amorphous nature of silica shell. Optical properties were investigated by measuring excitation and emission spectra. Such multifunctional luminescent and magnetic nanoparticles coated with easily functionalized silica shell could be applied in many field of science.