Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles modified with a silane coupling agent as a liquid laser medium

The synthesis of a fluorescent liquid medium by dispersing DMDC-modified Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles in DMSO was investigated. Firstly, Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles was synthesized by a solution-combustion method using lanthanide oxide and glycine. Aqueous nitrate solution of Nd^III were prepared by dissolving Nd₂O ₃ in dilute nitric acid by stirring and heating. DMDCS was used to modify the surface of Nd₂O₃ nanoparticles. The Nd ₂O₃ particles modified by DMDCS were added to DMSO to form a transparent dispersion. A rotating anode X-ray diffractometer using Cu Kα radiation was used to study the crystallographic structure of nanoparticles. Surface modification of nanoparticles with DMDCS was observed due to formation of DMDCS coatings on the nanoparticles. Result shows that nanoparticles exhibit long fluorescence lifetimes and high quantum yields in the organic medium.