Synthesis and properties of colloidal ternary ZnGa2O4:Eu3+ nanocrystals

A nonhydrolytic hot solution synthesis technique was used to grow monodisperse ternary oxide nanocrystals of ZnGa2O4:Eu3+. The shape of ZnGa2O4:Eu3+ nanocrystals was a function of the type of precursor, and their size was controlled by changing the concentration ratio of Zn precursor to surfactant. The crystal structure of synthesized ZnGa2O4 nanocrystals was a cubic spinel with no detectable secondary phases. Photoluminescence of red-emitting ZnGa2O4:Eu3+ nanocrystals resulted in a high (5D0–7F2)/(5D0–7F1) intensity ratio, suggesting that the Eu3+ ions occupy tetrahedral Zn2+ sites or distorted octahedral Ga3+ sites with no inversion symmetry in ZnGa2O4 nanocrystals.