Sol–gel synthesis of Sr₁₋ₓYbₓF₂₊ₓ nanoparticles dispersible in acrylates

A new approach to prepare nanoparticles in SrF₂-YbF₃ systems via the fluorolytic sol–gel synthesis is presented. A series of Sr₁₋ₓYbₓF₂₊ₓ (0.12 50 mol%) crystallite sizes decrease abruptly in comparison to lower Yb concentrations (<50 mol%) as detected by XRD. The obtained sols are highly transparent. The investigations by DLS and TEM revealed the presence of monodisperse sol particles with sizes in the lower nm range (∼5 nm). The nanoparticles are characterized by a wide range of homogeneity (up to approx. 60 mol% Yb) and show promise of a wide range of applicability in the areas of medicine, dentistry and optics.