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Wet chemical synthesis and luminescence properties of erbium-doped nanocrystalline yttrium oxide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 November 2004

Fiorenzo Vetrone
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, Canada
John-Christopher Boyer
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, Canada
John A. Capobianco*
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Concordia University, Montreal, H4B 1R6, Canada
Adolfo Speghini
Affiliation:
Dipartimento Scientifico e Tecnologico, Università di Verona and INSTM, UdR Verona, I-37134 Verona, Italy
Marco Bettinelli
Affiliation:
Dipartimento Scientifico e Tecnologico, Università di Verona and INSTM, UdR Verona, I-37134 Verona, Italy
*
a) Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: capo@vax2.concordia.ca
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Abstract

The luminescence properties of nanocrystalline Y2O3:Er3+ prepared via wet chemical synthesis were investigated. A broadening of both the reflectance spectrum and 77 K luminescence spectrum (λexc = 488 nm) was observed in the nanocrystalline material compared to bulk Y2O3:Er3+. The spectral broadening was attributed to the presence of Er3+ ions on the surface of the particle, which experienced different crystal fields than the ions buried in the core of the particle. Upconversion was observed in both the bulk and nanocrystal material following excitation with 650-nm or 800-nm radiation. Following excitation with 800-nm radiation, an enhancement of the red (4F9/24I15/2) upconverted emission was observed and occurred as a result of the (4I9/2, 4I11/2) → (4I13/2, 4F9/2) ion-pair process that directly populated the 4F9/2 state. The magnitude of the red enhancement in the nanocrystalline material prepared via wet chemical synthesis was less than that of the identically doped bulk sample and less still than Y2O3:Er3+ nanocrystals prepared via a combustion synthesis technique. An explanation is proposed to account for the drastic difference in the red upconverted luminescence intensity.

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Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2004

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References

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