Structural characterization and ytterbium spectroscopy in Sc2O3 nanocrystals

Ytterbium-doped scandium oxide nanocrystals measuring less than 25 nm with compositions of Sc2−xYbxO3 (x=0.001–1) were prepared using the modified Pechini method. The Yb:Sc2O3 nanocrystals were obtained by calcination at low temperature such as 1073 K for 2 h. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) were used to perform the structural characterization of nanocrystals; these studies indicated that the nanocrystals have high crystalline quality with cubic structure and Ia3¯ space group. The morphology and particle size were studied using electron microscopy. A detailed study of the effect of the nanodimension and the ytterbium concentration on the spectroscopic characteristics of Yb3+ as an active ion was carried out in terms of optical absorption, optical emission and fluorescence decay time at room and low temperature.