Luminescence of TiO2:Pr nanoparticles incorporated in silica aerogel

The photoluminescence of praseodymium ions in SiO2/TiO2 glasses elaborated by the sol–gel method was reported. It is shown that Pr ions were embedded in TiO2 nanocrystals (tetragonal, rutile) surrounded by a SiO2 glass matrix. Photoluminescence (PL) and photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra revealed the presence of energy transfer between the host matrix states and Pr3+ ions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, specific surface area by the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller method (BET), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and infrared (IR) absorption spectra of the samples have also been investigated. It is shown that the Pr3+ ions are not homogeneously distributed inside the glass matrix and that the lanthanide ion-doped TiO2 nanoparticules have higher surface area than the pure TiO2.