Structural and optical properties of europium doped yttrium oxide nanoparticles for phosphor applications

Europium (Eu) doped Yttria (Y2O3) nanoparticles was successfully synthesized by hydrolysis assisted co-precipitation method. The size of the nanoparticles was found to be varying between 7 and 14 nm. A two-step dehydration process was confirmed by thermal studies. Fourier transform infra red spectroscopy was used for structural and chemical analysis. A porous morphology was observed for the annealed particles from electron microscopic analysis. Luminescence studies confirmed the effect of 1% europium doping in Y2O3 sites. Size dependent luminous intensity was observed from photoluminescence studies. The results suggest that hydrolysis assisted co-precipitation method could be a better choice to obtain rare earth doped Y2O3 nanoparticles when compared to other chemical methods which require high synthesis temperature.