Preparation and Fluorescence Properties of TiO2 ：Eu Nano-Materials

A series of europium-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) fluorescent nano-materials prepared by sol-gel method is presented. The phase structure and crystalline sizes of TiO2:Eu, which is doped with different europium content and then heat-treated at different temperature, were investigated by XRD ,TG, DTA and TEM. The results show that europium could be introduced into TiO2 under high temperature and it can suppress the structural phase transition from anatase to rutile and the crystal growth of TiO2 in TiO2:Eu nano-materials. The fluorescence spectra were examined by fluorescence spectrophotometer, and the results show that the fluorescence intensity is the strongest when europium content is 2.68% (molefraction) and the heat-treated temperature is 700℃. From the measurement results of the fluorescence lifetimes, it can be seen that the fluorescence lifetime could be prolonged when europium is incorporated in TiO2.