An approach to Y2O3:Eu3+ optical nanostructured ceramics

Y2O3:Eu3+ (1 at.%) translucent nanostructured ceramics with total forward transmission achieving ∼70% of the theoretical limit has been obtained by the transformation-assisted consolidation of custom-made cubic Y2O3:Eu3+ nanopowders under high pressure (HP). Sintering under the pressure of 7.7 GPa and temperatures in the 100–500 °C range leads to the partial cubic-to-monoclinic phase transition that results in two-phase Y2O3:Eu3+ nanoceramics. The average grain size of ceramics d ≤ 50 nm for both Y2O3:Eu3+ polymorph is comparable with crystallite size of initial nanopowders (d ∼ 40 nm), indicating that the grain growth factor is near unity. The phase compositions, morphology, densities, preliminary optical and luminescent properties of synthesized nanostructured ceramics have been studied.