Optical spectroscopy study of YVO4:Eu3+ nanopowders prepared by the proteic sol–gel route

• Experimental and atomistic simulation techniques to study optical properties of YVO4 induced by europium dopant.
• The samples of YVO4:Eu were prepared via a sol–gel proteic route.
• A hybrid computer modeling method was employed.
• The transition energies were calculated for the each Eu3+ site.
• The intensity parameters Ω2 and Ω4 are reported for the case of YVO4:Eu systems.

In this study, computational and experimental methods are employed to study the optical properties of YVO4 induced by europium dopant. Atomistic modeling is used to predict the symmetry and the detailed geometry of the dopant site. This information is then used to calculate the crystal-field parameters. Eu-doped YVO4 nanopowders are prepared via a sol–gel proteic technique. Thereafter, multiple techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to examine the structural properties and surface morphology of the YVO4:Eu3+ phosphors. The optical properties are studied using photoluminescence (PL) and radioluminescence (RL) spectroscopy performed at room temperature. The transition energy of the Eu3+-doped material is compared with the theoretical results. The intensity parameters Ω2 and Ω4 of Eu3+ in the YVO4 matrix are calculated with the Judd-Ofelt approach.

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