Abstract: Highly uniform and well-dispersed mulberry-like nanostructures of CaF2 were synthesized by a hydrothermal method without the assistance of any templates or surfactants. The 3D hierarchical CaF2 mulberry-like nanostructures with size about 450nm are assembled by numerous nanocrystals. X-Ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy were used to characterize the samples. The formation process of the nanostructures was investigated by time dependent experiments. In addition, the luminescence of Yb3+-doped CaF2 nanostructures were discussed and of particular interest for various photonic applications in ionic crystals and glasses.

Key words: CaF2∶Yb3+, Nanomaterial; Luminescence property