Facile synthesis and luminescence properties of TiO2:Eu3+ nanobelts

Uniform TiO2:Eu3+ nanobelts have been successfully prepared by a simple hydrothermal method without any surfactant, catalyst or template. The as-synthesized products were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrophotometry. X-ray diffraction results demonstrate that all the diffraction peaks of the samples annealed at 500 °C can be well indexed to the pure anatase-phase TiO2. Under ultraviolet excitation, TiO2:Eu3+ nanobelts exhibit red emission corresponding to the 5D0–7F2 transition of the Eu3+ ions, and the photoluminescence intensity is the strongest when calcination temperature is 500 °C. It is expected that the TiO2:Eu3+ nanobelts can be used as novel semiconductor luminescence materials.

► Uniform TiO2:Eu3+ nanobelts have been prepared by a simple hydrothermal method.
► Crystallinity, morphology and photoluminescence of TiO2:Eu3+nanobelts change with the annealing temperature.
► PL intensity achieves the strongest when calcination temperature is at 500 °C.