Relationship between scintillation properties and crystallite sizes in Y2O3:Eu3+

This work describes the relation between crystallite size and scintillation properties of Eu3+-doped yttrium oxide. Nanocrystalline Y2O3:Eu3+ 1.0 mol% powders were prepared by Pechini method and thermal treated at 700-1100 °C. The thermal treatment temperature has influence on the crystallite sizes of Y2O3:Eu3+ nanocrystals and, consequently, on the structural and electronic defects concentration, which contributes to nonradiative recombination routes in scintillation materials. This relationship between the crystallite sizes and scintillation properties was investigated by X-ray diffraction and X-ray excited optical luminescence measurements.