UV-blue photoluminescence from ZrO2 nanopowders prepared via glycine nitrate process

ZrO2 nanopowders were synthesized by a glycine nitrate process route. These nanopowders exhibit a tetragonal major phase in a broad range of annealing temperature and annealing time. The photoluminescence spectra of the samples consist of a UV band centered at 385 nm and a blue band centered at 442 nm. Based on annealing experiments in different atmospheres, these two emission bands are tentatively ascribed to singly ionized oxygen-vacancy defects and singly ionized associated oxygen vacancy defects, respectively. Their photoluminescence properties and photoluminescence intensity change behaviors with annealing time as well as with annealing temperature are discussed.