Rare earth activated nanosized oxide phosphors: synthesis and optical properties

Gd2O3 : Eu and (Gd2Y)(2)O-3 : Eu nanocrystals were prepared by the glycine assist combustion method. The as-prepared products are porous networks from the HTEM and isolated nanoparticles can be observed after further annealing. From the luminescence spectra and XRD patterns, the prepared Gd2O3 :EU nanocrystals were found to be monoclinic. While Y3+ doped into the Gd2O3 to form the complex host, the structure changed from monoclinic to cubic when Y3+/Gd3+ is 0.3. More interesting, the luminescent intensity of the (Gd,Y)(2)O-3 : Eu nanocrystals is higher than that of pure Y2O3 : Eu or Gd2O3 : Eu system. Besides XRD pattern, the luminescence spectra, another powerful evidence in deducing the crystal structure, are used for analysis. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.