New Synthesis Strategies for Luminescent YVO₄:Eu and EuVO₄ Nanoparticles with H₂O₂ Selective Sensing Properties

Nowadays, because of safety demands, the controlled design of efficient and selective sensors for hydrogen peroxide is paramount. Therefore, we develop herein new strategies of aqueous synthesis of crystalline YVO 4:Eu and EuVO 4 nanoparticles based on a rigorous control of the pH and of the nucleation step via microwave heating. These routes allow a precise control of composition, nanostructure, and surface states of the resulting luminescent nanoparticles that are structurally and optically characterized via a large set of modern techniques. Moreover, these nanoparticles exhibit reproducible optical responses that are highly selective to hydrogen peroxide and present excellent detection thresholds as low as 0.05 ppm in solution. These remarkable performances allow the design of a new family of H 2 O 2 sensors, which surpass state-of-the-art inorganic optical sensors in liquid phase detection tests.