A novel strategy to the synthesis of Na3YSi2O7 from natural palygorskite

This paper reported the successful synthesis of Na3YSi2O7 from natural palygorskite at 800 °C for 1 h in air, which is a lower temperature and shorter time than that of general methods. The samples were characterized by differential thermogravimetry, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and transmission electron microscopy measurements. The results demonstrated that the structural transformation of palygorskite allows Na3YSi2O7 to be readily synthesized at a lower temperature than that required previously. The components mixed better in a liquid system than in a solid solution, so the synthesis time could be reduced markedly. The as-synthesized Na3YSi2O7 was suitable for rare earth doping, and exhibited efficient red emission at 612 nm following excitation at 254 nm when doped with Eu3 +. The strategy reported herein provides an alternative way to produce advanced functional materials from natural minerals.