Luminescence properties of nanocrystalline Y2O3 : Eu3+ in different host materials

In this study, the optical properties of nanocrystalline europium doped ytt ria, Y2O3:Eu3+ were investigated in dependence on different caging hosts su ch as porous MCM-41, porous silica, and porous alumina with pore sizes rang ing between 2.7 to 80 nm. These results were compared to nanopowders measur ed in air and aqueous solution whose particle sizes were 5 nm and 8 nm, res pectively. All these results were compared to a commercial lamp phosphor po wder with a grain size of about 5 mum. The structural properties of the sam ples were determined by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microsc opy. Investigated optical properties are the photoluminescence emission spe ctra, the excitation spectra, the lifetimes, and the quantum efficiencies. A heavy dependence of the charge transfer process on the surrounding will b e reported and discussed. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.