A step-wise synthetic method has been developed for the synthesis of multifunctional, magnetic luminescent nanocomposites with Fe₃O₄ nanospheres as the core encapsulated in silica and europium-doped sodium lutetium fluoride (NaLuF₄ :Eu³⁺) as the shell. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), photoluminescence (PL), kinetics of luminescence decay and magnetic studies were used to characterize the structural, optical and magnetic properties of these nanospheres. SEM and TEM images define their spherical morphology with average crystallite size in the range of 90–180 nm. Ultraviolet excited photoluminescent properties of Eu³⁺ doped Fe₃O₄ @ SiO₂ @ NaLuF₄ nanospheres were investigated and impact of doping has been explored. Eu³⁺ as dopant ion induces highly efficient luminescence with average lifetime value of 6.235 ns. Fe₃O₄ magnetic core exhibits super- paramagnetic behavior at room temperature.

In this paper, we report a surfactant-assisted self-sacrificing route for synthesis of Eu³⁺ doped LaPO4 nanostructures under hydrothermal conditions using the La(OH)CO₃ : Eu³⁺ precursor as a template andNH₄H₂PO₄ as the phosphate source. The synthesis was carried out in the absence and presence of surfactant [cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)] and two different solvents (water and ethylene glycol). The precursor and products were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopyand photoluminescence studies. Influence of surfactant and solvents on morphology and luminescence of the final product in sacrificial template-assisted method has been investigated in detail.