Luminescence, energy transfer, and upconversion mechanisms of y 2 O 3 nanomaterials doped with Eu 3+, Tb 3+, Tm 3+, Er 3+, and Yb 3+ ions

Abstract

Luminescence, energy transfer, and upconversion mechanisms of nanophosphors (Y 2 O 3 : Eu 3 +, Tb 3 +, Y 2 O 3 : Tm 3 +, Y 2 O 3 : Er 3 +, Yb 3 +) both in particle and colloidal forms were studied. The structure, phase, and morphology of the nanopowders and nanocolloidal media were determined by high-resolution TEM and X-ray diffraction. It was shown that the obtained nanoparticles have a round-spherical shape with average size in the range of 4 to 20nm. Energy transfer was observed for Y 2 O 3 : Eu 3 +, Tb 3 + colloidal and powders, upconversion transitions were observed for both Y 2 O 3 : Er 3 + and Y 2 O 3 : Er 3 +, Yb 3 + nanophosphors. The dependence of photoluminescence (PL) spectra and decay times on doping concentration has been investigated. The infrared to visible conversion of emission in Y 2 O 3 : Er 3 +, Yb 3 + system was analyzed and discussed aiming to be applied in the photonic technology.