Effects of Fe doping on crystalline and optical properties of yttria-stabilized zirconia Original Research Article

Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) samples with different Fe concentrations were prepared to study the effects of Fe doping on crystalline and optical properties of YSZ. The former properties were determined by X-ray diffraction, while the latter properties were determined by diffuse reflectance (DR) and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopies. Lattice contraction of YSZ caused by the Fe doping was observed. We revealed that the DR spectra of the 3 and 6 mol% Fe-doped YSZ samples originate from the Fe ions dissolved and undissolved in the YSZ, respectively. Moreover, two PL bands centered around 440 and 530 nm were observed for the YSZ sample, whereas one PL band centered around 440 nm was observed for the Fe-doped YSZ samples. The Fe doping reduced the PL intensity of YSZ and quenched the PL band around 530 nm. This could be explained by considering that the concentration of Fe ions near the surface of YSZ is much larger than that in the bulk of YSZ or by considering that the Fe doping enhances surface band bending of YSZ.