Effects of Eu content on the luminescent properties of Y2O3:Eu3+ aerogels and Y(OH)3/Y2O3:Eu3+@SiO2 glassy aerogels

This article describes the morphological, structural, and luminescent properties of Y2O3:Eu3+ aerogels and Y(OH)(3)/Y2O3:Eu3+@SiO2 glassy aerogels synthesized by the sol-gel method with Eu concentrations from 2.5 mol% to 30 mol%. XRD measurements indicated that both the aerogels and glassy aerogels had a monoclinic phase, but the crystallinity in the glassy aerogels was lower due to the presence of SiO2. SEM images reveal that a three-dimensional porous network was formed in the aerogels due to the interconnection of coalesced Y2O3:Eu3+ nanoparticles. The 3D porous network was also observed in the glassy aerogels, coated with a silica shell. In both the aerogels and glassy aerogels, the size of the agglomerates decreased as the europium concentration increased. This, in turn, increased the average size of the macropores that formed their 3D network. Furthermore, the luminescent properties of the aerogels and glassy aerogels were studied under UV excitation, and it was observed that their red emission intensity increased continuously as the Eu3+ concentration increased. The luminescence of the aerogels was on average 50% higher than that of the glassy aerogels. Hence, our results indicate that porous and luminescent aerogels with and without silica are adequate for applications in sensing and catalysis.