Energy transfer and enhanced luminescence in metal oxide nanoparticle and rare earth codoped silica

A significant enhancement of photoluminescence from Eu3+ embedded in SiO2 matrix is observed by codoping with wide band-gap In2O3 nanoparticles. The enhanced photoluminescence characteristics are strongly influenced by the postannealing temperature and the In3+ concentration. Synchronous scanning photoluminescence technique was used to understand the excitation and luminescence behavior in codoped silica films. Based on the experimental results, we argue that the enhancement of photoluminescence is associated with the effective energy transfer process from In2O3 nanoparticles to the charge transfer band of O2+-Eu3+ instead of the direct transfer to the rare-earth energy levels. (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics.