Abstract
Gadolinium oxysulfide nanophosphors (Gd2O2S-NPs) have been successfully synthesized using γ-irradiation and hydrogenation treatment. The primary stage of Gd2O2S-NPs synthesis was carried out using various doses of γ-irradiation to form diverse sizes of Gd2(SO4)3 precursor, followed by hydrogenation treatment at 900°C for 2 hours to form Gd2O2S-NPs. Then, the nanophosphors were characterized for the structure, morphology, and luminescence properties through X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and photoluminescence spectrometer (PL). Pure hexagonal phase of Gd2O2S-NPs was obtained with high crystallinity and without any impurities. The morphologies were observed from grain-like nanostructures transformed to spherical shape as the irradiation dose reached 40 kGy. Besides, Gd2O2S-NPs which were prepared at highest irradiation dose of 40 kGy show highest intensity of emission peak at 548 nm and corresponded to Stark level transition from the GJ6 state of Gd3+ ion. It can be emphasized that the different doses of γ-irradiation influenced the nucleation event of Gd2(SO4)3 precursor thus affecting the morphology and size particles of Gd2O2S-NPs. Hence, from the results, it can be suggested that Gd2O2S-NPs can be a promising host for optical applications.
Highlights
In the last decade, lanthanide materials have displayed the potential to be utilized as efficient phosphors in many applications, such as solar energy converters [1], optical amplifiers [2], and thermoluminescent dosimeters [3]
Lanthanide materials can be fabricated into nanoscale materials which exhibit extraordinary properties in comparison to bulk materials, which is ideal for a wide range of applications
The high density of Gd2O2S-NPs (7.34 g/cm3) makes it a suitable as a host for higher concentration of dopant [4]. Due to these remarkable features, this material is promising for various applications which includes radiographical applications and medical diagnostic, especially in charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for electron microscopy [7], ceramic scintillators [8], cathode ray tube (CRTs) [9], and multimodal imaging agent [10]
Summary
Lanthanide materials have displayed the potential to be utilized as efficient phosphors in many applications, such as solar energy converters [1], optical amplifiers [2], and thermoluminescent dosimeters [3]. Gadolinium oxysulfide nanophosphors (Gd2O2SNPs) were chosen due to its high chemical and thermal stability as well as wide band gap energy in the range of 4.6 to 4.8 eV, which is suitable for ionic doped activation [4] and efficiently reacted to become as a luminescent emitting material [5]. It has been deliberated as a host for optical activation with various numbers of rare earth ions to reveal different luminescence peaks of the activators [6]. As the γ-irradiation method managed to control size and morphology particles of Gd2O2S-NPs at various doses, the growth mechanisms and photoluminescence properties of the Gd2O2S-NPs will be investigated and discussed in detail
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