Effect of Ce3+ doping and calcination on the photoluminescence of ZrO2 (3% Y2O3) fibers

Ce3+-doped ZrO2 fibers were prepared by spinning method. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) shows the formation of only tetragonal phase with different concentrations of Ce3+-doped ZrO2 fibers. The surface of the fibers is smooth and of uniform diameter by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The photoluminescence (PL) results show typical emission bands centered at 470 and 530 nm; concentration quenching of the luminescence occurs as the molar ratio of Ce3+ ions exceeds an optimum value of 5%. No thermal quenching was observed, which was attributed to improved crystallinity of the host lattice, due to the increased calcining temperature.