In situ synthesis and optical properties of strong red emitting nanomaterial: YxGd2−xO3: Eu3+ by composing different hybrid polymeric precursors

Nanometer-size YxGd2−xO3: Eu3+ with different ratio of Y and Gd (x = 0, 0.4, 1.0, 1.6, 2.0) were synthesized by using rare earth citric acid (CTA) or iso-nicotinic acid (PIC) coordination polymers as precursors for the luminescent species YxGd2−xO3: Eu3+, composed with the polyethylene glycol (PEG) or poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) both as dispersing media and fuel. Crystalline morphology and particle size were characterized by SEM and XRD, size distribution being in the range of 32–114 nm. Compared with the bulk Y2O3: Eu3+ phosphors, these nanometric materials show an especially strong emission of 611 nm and a blue shift of 7 nm. It is worthy pointing out that the emitting intensity of the phosphor reaches the strongest as the proportion of Y and Gd is 2–8.