Structural and optical characterization of Eu3+ doped polymer-zirconia composites

Eu3+ doped zirconia-poly ethylene glycol (ZrO2-PEG) composites were synthesized by non-hydrolytic sol-gel method. The structural and photoluminescence characteristics of the as-prepared samples were investigated by XRD, TGA-DTA, FTIR, Raman spectroscopy, excitation and emission spectroscopy. The coupling between vibrational modes and electronic transitions was studied by phonon side band (PSB) analysis. The vibrational modes found in the Raman and FTIR spectra are closely related to those in the PSB spectra. The role of dopant concentration on the emission properties of ZrO2-PEG: Eu3+ samples was studied and a concentration quenching of PL emission was also observed.