Synthesis and characterization of Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphor nanoparticles by a sol-lyophilization technique

Synthesis and characterization of Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphor nanoparticles by a sol-lyophilization technique
July 2003
C. Louis, R. Bazzi, Marco A. Flores, W. Zhenga, K. Lebbou, O. Tillementa, B. Mercier, C. Dujardin and P. Perriat
Journal of Solid State Chemistry
ScienceDirect
Abstract
The characterization and luminescence properties of nanostructured Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphors synthesized by a sol-lyophilization process are presented. After preparation of gadolinium-based sols from gadolinium nitrate and ammonium hydroxide, the so-prepared sols were freeze dried at -10?C and calcinated at different temperatures. For temperatures lower than 1300 K, highly crystalline samples with the cubic structure can be obtained without concomitant grain growth of the particles (<50 nm). The luminescence spectra contain all possible transitions of Eu3+ with C2 symmetry and present two major features: an increase of the luminescence efficiencies of the phosphors in comparison with that obtained by solid-state reaction and the presence of an additional peak at about 609 nm at the vicinity of the 5D0?7F0?4 transition.
Author Keywords: Lyophilization; Nanoparticles; Crystalline; Phosphors; Luminescence