Synthesis and properties of luminescent Y2O3:Eu (15–25 wt%) nanocrystals

We studied the dependency of the photoluminescence (PL) intensity of Y2O3:Eu (15 wt%≤Eu≤25 wt%) nanocrystals from the viewpoint of surface area and amount of Eu concentration. Nanoscale Y2O3:Eu was synthesized by a liquid-phase reaction method The surface area and PL intensity of the sintered nanocrystals at 500 °C in air are dependent on the amount of Eu. The PL intensity increased with increasing surface area and decreasing Eu concentration in the Y2O3:Eu nanocrystals. These results indicate that the influence on PL in Y2O3:Eu nanocrystals above Eu=15 wt% was not caused alone by the concentration quenching effect due to an excess of Eu concentration or the surface area effect, caused by surface luminescence, but rather by their combined effects.