Matrix-induced synthesis and photoluminescence of RE2SiO5: Eu3+ (RE = Gd, Y) submicrometer phosphors derived from sol–gel assembly of hybrid precursors

In the context, rare earth (Gd, Y and Eu) coordination polymers with salicylic acid and their nitrates were used as precursors for the luminescent species, which composed with the polyacrylamide (PAM) to form interpenetrating polymeric network systems as dispersing media. Through the sol–gel process of silicate sources (tetraethyl orthosilicate, TEOS), the multicomponent hybrid precursors were assembled and then series of submicrometer phosphors of RE2SiO5: Eu3+ (RE = Gd, Y) were synthesized after the thermal decomposition. Both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) show that these materials possesses the submicrometer size of 80–200 nm. The photoluminescent properties show these submicrometer phosphors exhibit characteristic red emission at 612 nm.