Preparation and luminescent properties of europium-doped yttria fibers by electrospinning

Sub-micrometer-sized fibers of europium-doped yttria (Y2O3:Eu3+) were prepared by electrospinning followed by high-temperature calcinations for the first time. The fibers were with diameters of 200-400 nm and lengths of several 10 μm and cubic in phase. The spectral properties of the Y2O3:Eu3+ fibers were studied, in contrast with those of bulk powders. The results indicated that in the present Y2O3:Eu3+ fibers the excited charge transfer band had slightly blue shift in comparison with that in the bulk due to weaker covalence of Eu-O bonds. In addition, both of the lifetimes of the 5D1 and 5D0 states in the fibers became shorter than that in the bulk due to improved nonradiative transition rates.