4-Mercaptobenzoic acid capped terbium(III)-doped CaF nanocrystals: a fluorescent probe for nitroaromatic pollutants.

The authors report on an energy transfer based fluorometric approach for the detection of nitroaromatic pollutants. This is achieved using 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA)-capped CaF:Tb nanocrystals that were synthesized by a microwave procedure. 4-MBA acts as both a capping agent and a sensitizer for the Tb ions in CaF host matrix.