Facile synthesis and luminescence properties of Y2O3:Ln(3+) (Ln(3+) = Eu(3+), Tb(3+), Dy(3+), Sm(3+), Er(3+), Ho(3+), Tm(3+), Yb(3+)/Er(3+), Yb(3+)/Tm(3+), Yb(3+)/Ho(3+)) microspheres.

Abstract

Multicolor and monodisperse Y2O3:Ln(3+) (Ln(3+) = Eu(3+), Tb(3+), Dy(3+), Sm(3+), Er(3+), Ho(3+), Tm(3+), Yb(3+)/Er(3+), Yb(3+)/Ho(3+)) microspheres were prepared through a facile urea-assisted homogeneous precipitation method followed by a subsequent calcination process. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectrum (EDS), Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra were employed to characterize the samples. The XRD results reveal that the as-prepared spheres can be well indexed to cubic Y2O3 phase with high purity. The SEM and TEM images show the obtained Y2O3:Ln(3+) samples consist of regular nanospheres with the mean diameter of 350 nm. And the possible formation mechanism is also proposed. Upon ultraviolet and low-voltage electron beams excitation, Y2O3:Ln(3+) (Ln(3+) = Eu(3+), Tb(3+), Dy(3+), Sm(3+), Er(3+), Ho(3+), Tm(3+)) samples exhibit respective bright red (Eu(3+), (5)D0 --> (7)F2), green (Tb(3+), (5)D4 --> (7)F5), blue (Dy(3+), (4)F9/2 --> (6)H13/2), yellow (Sm(3+), (4)G5/2 --> (6)H7/2), green (Er(3+), (4)S3/2 --> (4)I15/2), green (Ho(3+), (5)S2 --> (5)I8), blue (Tm(3+), (1)D2 --> (3)F4) down-conversion (DC) emissions. Under 980 nm NIR irradiation, Y2O3:Ln(3+) (Ln(3+) = Yb(3+)/Er(3+), Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) and Yb(3+)/Ho(3+)) exhibit characteristic up-conversion (UC) emissions of green (Er(3+), (2)H11/2, (4)S3/2, (2)H11/2 --> (4)I5/2), blue (Tm(3+), (1)G4 --> (3)H6) and green (Ho(3+), (5)F4, (5)S2 --> (5)I8), respectively. These merits of multicolor emissions in the visible region endow this kind of material with potential applications in the field of light display systems, lasers, and optoelectronic devices.