Cluster coordination and photoluminescence properties of α-Ag2WO4 microcrystals

Inorg Chem. 2012 Oct 15;51(20):10675-87. doi: 10.1021/ic300948n. Epub 2012 Sep 21.

Abstract

In this paper, we report our initial research to obtain hexagonal rod-like elongated silver tungstate (α-Ag(2)WO(4)) microcrystals by different methods [sonochemistry (SC), coprecipitation (CP), and conventional hydrothermal (CH)] and to study their cluster coordination and optical properties. These microcrystals were structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Rietveld refinements, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES), and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies. The shape and average size of these α-Ag(2)WO(4) microcrystals were observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM). The optical properties of these microcrystals were investigated by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy and photoluminescence (PL) measurements. XRD patterns and Rietveld refinement data confirmed that α-Ag(2)WO(4) microcrystals have an orthorhombic structure. FT-IR spectra exhibited four IR-active modes in a range from 250 to 1000 cm(-1). XANES spectra at the W L(3)-edge showed distorted octahedral [WO(6)] clusters in the lattice, while EXAFS analyses confirmed that W atoms are coordinated by six O atoms. FE-SEM images suggest that the α-Ag(2)WO(4) microcrystals grow by aggregation and the Ostwald ripening process. PL properties of α-Ag(2)WO(4) microcrystals decrease with an increase in the optical band-gap values (3.19-3.23 eV). Finally, we observed that large hexagonal rod-like α-Ag(2)WO(4) microcrystals prepared by the SC method exhibited a major PL emission intensity relative to α-Ag(2)WO(4) microcrystals prepared by the CP and CH methods.