Preparation, properties and application of multifunctional CaWO₄: Tb₃₊/ SiO₂/AgBr fluorescent composite

Nanoscale CaWO4:Tb3+/SiO2/AgBr composite phosphors were synthesized by a simple two-step method. The structure, luminescence and catalytic properties of the materials were studied by XRD, FT-IR, UV-vis DRS, etc. The structural information, surface morphology, and the enhanced fluorescence properties of nano size CaWO4: Tb3+/AgBr modified by SiO2 were investigated in detail. CaWO4: Tb3+/SiO2/AgBr also showed good dispersion and stability in aqueous solution, and the fluorescence intensity remained stable within 6 h. Based on above findings, CaWO4: Tb3+/SiO2/AgBr possess the high selectivity and sensitivity for p-nitrophenol (4-NP) and paminobenzoic acid (PABA) detections, the detection limits are 6.74 and 7.42 mu M respectively. Besides, as a catalyst, CaWO4: Tb3+/SiO2/AgBr also shows good catalytic ability for p-nitrophenol reduction. When the loading content of AgBr is 15%, the catalytic process complete within 8 min. Thus, the nanoscale CaWO4: Tb3+/ SiO2/AgBr composite may act as a multifunctional material for the development of applied science.