Synthesis and properties of luminescent Y 2O 3:Eu (15–25 wt%) nanocrystals

Abstract

We studied the dependency of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of Y 2O 3:Eu (15 wt%≤Eu≤25 wt%) nanocrystals from the viewpoint of surface area and amount of Eu concentration. Nanoscale Y 2O 3:Eu was synthesized by a liquid-phase reaction method The surface area and PL intensity of the sintered nanocrystals at 500 °C in air are dependent on the amount of Eu. The PL intensity increased with increasing surface area and decreasing Eu concentration in the Y 2O 3:Eu nanocrystals. These results indicate that the influence on PL in Y 2O 3:Eu nanocrystals above Eu=15 wt% was not caused alone by the concentration quenching effect due to an excess of Eu concentration or the surface area effect, caused by surface luminescence, but rather by their combined effects.