Synthesis and luminescence properties of nanocrystalline Gd3Ga5O12:Eu3+ by a homogeneous precipitation method

Nanocrystalline Gd3Ga5O12:Eu3+ with cubic phase was prepared by a urea homogeneous precipitation method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermo-gravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA) and photoluminescence spectra were used to characterize the samples. The effects of the initial solution pH value and urea content on the structure of the sample were studied. The XRD results show that pure phase Gd3Ga5O12 can be obtained at pH =6 and pH =8 of the initial solution. The average crystallite size can be calculated as in the range of 24~33 nm. The average crystallite size decreases with increasing molar ratio of urea to metal ion. The results of excitation spectra and emission spectra show that the emission peaks are ascribed to 5D0→7FJ transitions of Eu3+, and the magnetic dipole transition originated from 5D0 →7F1 of Eu3+ is the strongest; the broad excitation bands belong to change transfer band of Eu?O and the host absorption of Gd3Ga5O12. An efficient energy transfer occurs from Gd3+ to Eu3+.     

~ ~ 3＋ Sol-gel synthesis and photoluminescence characterization of La2Ti2O7.EU3＋nanocrystals

Eu³⁺ doped La₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals with pure monoclinic phase and size of about 100 nm were prepared by a citric acid (CA) assisted sol-gel method. Techniques of thermo-gravimetric (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction (XRD), as well as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were employed to characterize the as-synthesized nanoparticles. Furthermore, photoluminescence (PL) performances of the Eu³⁺ doped La₂Ti₂O₇ nanocrystals were evaluated with focus on the effects of calcination temperature and Eu³⁺ doping concentration on the photoluminescence properties.     

Influence of europium oxide doping on the structural and optical properties of pulsed laser ablated barium tungstate thin films

Nanostructured Eu₂O₃ doped Barium tungstate (BaWO₄) crystallites are successfully synthesized using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. The influence of different Eu₂O₃ doping concentrations (1,2,3 & 5 wt.%) on the structural, surface morphological and optical properties are systematically studied using XRD, micro-Raman, SEM, AFM, UV-vis and photoluminescence spectroscopy. All the films are polycrystalline with tetragonal scheelite structure. The vibrational analysis of the atoms in BaWO₄ is studied by micro-Raman spectra using factor group analysis. The surface morphological analysis by SEM and AFM reveals the presence of fine nanoparticles with distinct grain boundaries in all the films. The band gap energy variation in the Eu₂O₃ doped BaWO₄ films is in accordance with the variation of the sizes of nano particles in the films. The films with higher Eu³⁺ doping concentrations (≥2 wt.%) show a PL emission peak centered around 614 nm when excited at 394 nm which can be attributed to the ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (0-2) transition of Eu³⁺ ion.     

Low temperature solid-state synthesis and characterization of uniform YF3 submicroparticles

In this paper, submicro-scaled YF3 particles with uniform rice-like morphologies were facilely synthesized by reacting yttrium nitrate with tetrabutylammonium fluoride via a solid-state reaction process at 50 °C for 12 h.The phase confirmation and morphology of the as-prepared YF3 particles were investigated by X-ray powder diffraction（XRD） and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）.SEM results reveal that the YF3 submicroparticles are about 700 nm in length and 260 nm in width. Eu^3＋ and Tb^3＋ doped YF3 submicroparticles were also prepared with similar process and their photoluminescence properties were studied. Results demonstrate that the doping of Eu^3＋ and Tb^3＋ has slight effect on the morphologies of the product. Owing to the small average crystallite size or the low crystallinity of the product, the photoluminescence intensity of the Eu^3＋ and Tb^3＋ doped YF3 submicroparticles is very weak. Some characteristic peaks even cannot be observed in the emission spectrum.     

Citric based sol-gel synthesis and luminescence characteristics of CaLa2ZnO5:Euphosphors for blue LED excited white LEDs

A novel class of orange-red phosphors namely CaLa₂ZnO₅ (CLZ) doped with Eu³⁺ ions were prepared by adopting citrate based sol-gel method. Those were thoroughly characterized by means of XRD, SEM, Tg-DTA, photoluminescent (PL) spectral profiles. PL studies reveal that its emission intensity strongly depends on sintering temperature as well as the dopant ion (Eu³⁺) concentration. Eu³⁺ ion doped CaLa₂ZnO₅ phosphor has a strong excitation at 468 nm, which correspond to the popular emission line from a GaN based blue light-emitting diode (LED) chip. The influence of the preparation method on the luminescence property was studied by comparing the emission performance of phosphors prepared by sol-gel and solid-state reaction methods along with a commercial red phosphor Y₂O₂S:Eu³⁺. Thus, the intense red emission (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂) of the Eu³⁺ doped CLZ phosphors under blue excitation suggests them to be a potential candidate for the production of white light by blue LEDs.     

SOLID SOLUTION BEHAVIOR OF Y2−x−yGdxEuyO3 NANOPOWDERS DURING PROCESS OF PREPARATION AND THEIR LUMINESCENCE PROPERTIES

用柠檬酸螯合法制备Y_2-x-yGd_xEu_yO₃纳米粉体(x+y≤ 2), 通过FTIR, XRD和SEM分析了制备过程中的物相变化以及pH值对粉体 形貌的影响. 测试了Y_2-x-yGd_xEu_yO₃ 晶格常数和晶胞体积, 分析了Gd与Eu在Y₂O₃中的固溶行为及其发光性能. 结果表明: 在pH<3的体系中制备Y_2-x-yGd_xEu_yO₃粉体较为适合, 经900 ℃煅烧2 h可完全合成出立方相的Y_2-x-yGd_xEu_yO₃; 在pH=1时, 加入少量乙二醇 (5%, 体积分数) 时得到粉体形貌最佳, 粒径约90 nm, 近球形. 样品的发光性能和Y, Gd的配比以及Eu的含量有关, 当化学配比为Y_0.2Gd_1.65Eu_0.15O₃时样品发光强度最高,y值超过0.15会发生浓度猝灭, 导致发光强度降低.     

Synthesis and luminescent properties of Ln3+ (Ln3+ = Eu3+, Dy3+) -doped Bi2ZnB2O7 phosphors

The new phosphors Bi2ZnB2O7:Ln3+ (Ln3+ =Eu3+,Dy3+) were synthesized by solid-state reaction technique.The obtained phosphors were investigated by means of X-ray powder diffraction (XRD),photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra with the aim of enhancing the fundamental knowledge about the luminescent properties of Eu3+ and Dy3+ ions in the Bi2ZnB2O7 host lattice.XRD analysis shows that all these compounds are of a single phase of Bi2ZnB2O7.The excitation and emission spectra of Bi2ZnB2O7:Ln3+ (Ln3+ =Eu3+,Dy3+) at room temperature show the typical 4f-4f transitions of Eu3+ and Dy3+,respectively.The hypersensitive transitions of 5D0→7F2 (Eu3+) and 4F9/2→ 6H13/2 (Dy3+) are relatively higher than those of the insensitive transitions in Bi2ZnB2O7.It is conceivable that the Bi2ZnB2O7 structure provides asymmetry sites for activators (Eu3+,Dy3+).The optimum concentrations of Eu3+ and Dy3+ ions in Bi2ZnB2O7 phosphors are both x =0.05.     

Preparation and characterization of Eu^3＋-doped CaCO3 phosphor by microwave synthesis

A Eu³⁺-doped CaCO₃ phosphor with red emission was prepared by microwave synthesis. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) image and laser particle size analysis show that the CaCO₃:Eu³⁺ particles are needle-like in the length range of 5.0–10.0 μm. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopy indicate that pure aragonite CaCO₃:Eu³⁺ is prepared using microwave irradiation and the Eu³⁺ ion as a luminescence center inhabits the site of Ca²⁺. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectrum shows that the strong broad band at around 270 nm and weak sharp lines in 300–550 nm are assigned to the charge transfer band of Eu³⁺-O²⁻ and intra-configurational 4f-4f transitions of Eu³⁺, respectively. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum implies that the red luminescence can be attributed to the transitions from the ⁵D₀ excited level to the ⁷F _J (J = 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) levels of Eu³⁺ ions with the mainly electric dipole transition ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂ (614 and 620 nm), and the Eu³⁺ ions prefer to occupy the low symmetric site in the crystal lattice.     

Luminescence properties of SrIn2O4:Eu incorporated with Gd or Sm ions

The photoluminescence (PL) properties of SrIn₂O₄:Eu³⁺,Gd³⁺ and SrIn₂O₄:Eu³⁺,Sm³⁺ are investigated in this work. When the Gd³⁺ ions are introduced in this compound, the average distance metal-oxygen is increased, and then the vibration of lattice is decreased. It results in that the nonradiation of Eu³⁺ is decreased. Therefore, the emissions of SrIn₂O₄:Eu³⁺ are increased. However, little of energy transfer occurs from Gd³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions. When the Sm³⁺ ions are introduced into SrIn₂O₄:Eu³⁺, the energy transfers occur from the CTS of O²⁻-Sm³⁺ to Sm³⁺ and Eu³⁺ ions, from the host absorption to Eu³⁺ ions, and from Sm³⁺ to Eu³⁺ ions, but not from the host absorption to Sm³⁺ ions.     

Red-emitting Ln2−xEuxTe2O6:RE (Ln = La, Y; RE = Sm, Gd) phosphors prepared by the Pechini sol-gel method

La_1.90Eu_0.10TeO₆:RE³⁺ (RE = Gd, Sm) and Y₂TeO₆:Eu³⁺nanophosphors were prepared by the Pechini sol-gel process, using lanthanide sesquioxides and telluric acid as precursors. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photoluminescence spectra (PL) and fluorescence lifetime were used to characterize the resulting phosphors. The results of XRD indicate that all samples crystallized completely at 1073 K and are isostructural with orthorhombic Ln₂TeO₆. The SEM study reveals that the samples have a strong tendency to form agglomerates with an average size ranging from 40 to 65 nm. The luminescence decay curves suggest for all samples a monoexponential behavior. The photoluminescence intensity and chromaticity were improved for excitation at 395 nm when the co-doping concentration reaches the 1% mol. The optimized phosphorsLa_1.88Eu_0.10Gd_0.02TeO₆and La_1.88Eu_0.10Sm_0.02TeO₆, could be considered an efficient red-emitting phosphor for solid-state lighting devices based on InGaN LEDs.     

Preparation and structural properties of Lu2O3:Eu submicrometer spherical phosphors

Monodisperse non-agglomerated Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ submicrometer spheres were obtained by the homogeneous precipitation technique with subsequent annealing for spheres crystallization. The morphological and structural parameters of the Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ crystalline spheres prepared were investigated by the electron microscopy methods, thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffractometry (XRD), X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and FT-IR spectroscopy. The influence of the annealing temperature on the morphology and sphericity was shown. Eu³⁺-doped lutetium oxide spheres were characterized by effective luminescence under X-ray excitation in the λ = 575-725 nm range corresponding to ⁵D₀ → ⁷F_J transitions (J = 0-4) of Eu³⁺ ions. It was shown that the X-ray luminescence efficiency of the Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ spherical phosphors prepared strongly depend on annealing temperature and dopant concentration.     

Preparation and properties of multifunctional Fe@C@Y2O3:Eu nanocomposites

Multifunctional Fe@C@Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ nanocomposites were prepared by the solvo thermal method, and their structure, magnetic and luminescent properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results show that the nanocomposites are spherical with a mean diameter of 700 nm and there are high special saturation magnetization (47.4 emu/g) and strong red emission under UV-light. Even dispersed in water solution, the nanocomposites also exhibit a strong red emission under ultraviolet light radiation, and it could be manipulated using an external magnet. Thus it looks promising for application in biomedicine field, especially in drug targeting and fluorescence label. And we also discussed the effect of the electron transfer process between the Fe magnetic core and Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ shell.     

Preparation and characteristics of Fe3O4@YVO4:Eu bifunctional magnetic-luminescent nanocomposites

A facile direct precipitation method has been developed for the synthesis of bifunctional magnetic-luminescent nanocomposites with Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles as the core and YVO₄:Eu³⁺ as the shell. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images revealed that the obtained bifunctional nanocomposites had a core-shell structure and a spherical morphology. The average size was ∼150 nm, and the thickness of the shell was ∼15 nm. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns showed that a cubic spinel structure of Fe₃O₄ core and a tetragonal phase of YVO₄ shell were obtained. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra confirmed that the YVO₄:Eu³⁺ had been successfully deposited on the surface of Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra indicated that the nanocomposites displayed a strong red characteristic emission of Eu³⁺. Magnetic measurements showed that the obtained bifunctional nanocomposites exhibited superparamagnetic behavior at room temperature. Therefore, the bifunctional nanocomposites are expected to develop many potential applications in biomedical fields.     

Influence of La and Dy on the properties of the long afterglow phosphor CaAl2O4: Eu, Nd

The long afterglow phosphor CaAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺,Nd³⁺ was prepared by the high temperature solid-state reaction method, and the influence of La³⁺ and Dy³⁺ on the properties of the long afterglow phosphor was studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence (PL), and thermoluminescence (TL). The XRD pattern shows the host phase of CaAl₂O₄ is produced and no impurity phase appears. The peak wavelength of the phosphor does not vary with La³⁺ and Dy³⁺ doping. It implies that the crystal field, which affects the 5d electron states of Eu²⁺, is not changed dramatically after doping of La³⁺ and Dy³⁺. The TL spectra indicate that the phosphor doped with La³⁺ or Dy³⁺ produces different depths of trap energy level. In the mechanism of long afterglow luminescence, it is considered that La³⁺ or Dy³⁺ works as trap energy level. The decay time lies on the number of electrons in the trap energy level and the rate of the electrons returning to the excitation level.     

Growth and Characterization of Lu2O3:Eu3+ Thin Films on Single-Crystal Yttria-Doped Zirconia

Lu₂O₃ doped with Eu³⁺ has been established as an excellent scintillator material for numerous applications such as lasers, optical lenses, and radiography. The material is typically manufactured via hot pressing. This process, apart from being prohibitively expensive, can also introduce major structural defects because it requires grinding/polishing to achieve high transparency and spatial resolution. To overcome these process limitations that have restricted the commercial viability of Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ scintillators, a technique to deposit thin films (1–10 μm) of Lu₂O₃:Eu³⁺ has been developed. This investigation characterized the growth of such thin films by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering on single-crystal cubic yttria doped zirconia (YSZ) substrates. At a deposition rate of 3.3 Å/s, the effects of substrate heating and orientation on coating structure property and the resultant effect on performance were evaluated. Additionally, the effect of deposition parameters and growth conditions on the radioluminescence of the coatings, excited by x-rays, was systematically examined.     

Preparation of Y2O3：Eu^3＋ phosphor by molten salt assisted method

A kind of fine and quasi-spherical Y2O3：Eu^3＋ phosphor was prepared by firing a preparative precursor at 1 200 ℃ for 2 h with the molten salts of Na2CO3, S and NaCl. The precursor was obtained by homogeneous precipitation of yttrium and europium with oxalic acid when using EDTA, citric acid or starch as complexant. The structure and morphology of the phosphors were characterized by XRD and SEM, respectively. The influence of complexing environment, firing temperature and molten salts on formation of the phosphor Y2O3：Eu^3＋ was discussed. The result show that the prepared Y2O3：Eu^3＋ phosphor is of quasi-spherical structure with size of 2-3 μm. Its luminescent intensity is 30% higher than that of the same phosphor prepared by the same procedure but without molten salts, and is 5% higher than that of commercial Y2O3：Eu^3＋ red phosphor.     

Hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of Eu-doped GaOOH/α-Ga2O3/β-Ga2O3 nanoparticles

Eu-doped GaOOH nanoparticles with size of 5-8 nm were prepared by hydrothermal method using sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS) as surfactant. Eu-doped α-Ga₂O₃ and β-Ga₂O₃ were further fabricated by annealing GaOOH:Eu and then characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and photoluminescence (PL). The TEM results show that monodisperse Eu³⁺-doped GaOOH nanoparticles form and then transform into Eu³⁺-doped α-Ga₂O₃ and β-Ga₂O₃ through annealing the GaOOH:Eu nanoparticles at 600 and 900 °C, respectively. PL studies indicate that GaOOH:Eu has the highest intensity at 618 nm. Luminescence quenching is observed at higher Eu³⁺ concentration in all samples.     

Preparation and its luminescent properties of AlPO4:Eu phosphor for w-LED applications

Orange-reddish-emitting phosphor AlPO₄:Eu³⁺ were fabricated by solid-state reactions at high temperature. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that AlPO₄ doped with 3 mol% of Eu³⁺ (AlPO₄:0.03Eu³⁺) was pure orthorhombic phase. The photoluminescence study shows that the intensity of magnetic dipole transition (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁) at 594 nm dominates over that of electric dipole transition (⁵D₀ → ⁷F₂) at 613 nm. The optimum concentration of Eu³⁺ for the highest luminescence is found to be 3 mol%. The PL excitation spectrum is composed of CTB of Eu-O and excitation lines of Eu³⁺ ions. The strongest excitation lines appeared at 392 nm. The color coordinates, quantum yield and lifetime for AlPO₄:0.03Eu³⁺ were measured. All the spectrum features indicate that AlPO₄:Eu³⁺ might be a promising phosphor for display devices or w-LEDs.     

Porous Y<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> microcubes: synthesis and characterization

In this work, a facile route using a simple solvothermal reaction and sequential heat treatment process to prepare porous Y₂O₃ microcubes is presented. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electronic microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and differential thermal analysis (DTA). The thermal decomposition process of the Y₂O₃ precursor was investigated. SEM results demonstrated that the as-prepared porous Y₂O₃ microcubes were with an average width of about 20 μm and thickness of about 8 μm. It was found that the morphology of the Y₂O₃ precursor could be readily tuned by varying the molar ratio of S₂O₈²⁻ to Y³⁺. Y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ (6.6%) microcubes were also prepared and their photoluminescence properties were investigated.     

Cr doping optimization in CaAl2O4:Eu blue phosphor

A new composition of phosphor material CaAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺ co-doped with Cr³⁺ was investigated. Various compositions with Eu²⁺ (1 and 2 mol%) and Cr³⁺ (0.05–0.1 mol%) were prepared by solid-state reaction method. These compositions show high brightness and longer persistent luminescence. Phase and crystallinity were investigated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Excitation and emission spectra were taken to investigate the luminescence characteristics. Broad band UV excited luminescence of the CaAl₂O₄:Eu²⁺, Cr³⁺ was observed in the blue region (λ_max = 440 nm) due to transitions from 4f⁶5d¹ to the 4f⁷ configuration of the Eu²⁺ ion. Cr³⁺ ion co-doping generates deep traps which results in longer afterglow phosphorescence compared to parent phosphor.