Optical investigation of Tb3+-doped Y₂O₃ nanocrystals prepared by Pechini-type sol–gel process

摘要

We report an optical study of Tb3+-doped Y₂O₃ nanocrystals synthesized by Pechini-type sol–gel method. The particles are investigated in terms of size and morphology by means of X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analysis. It is shown how the simple Pechini method allows for the growth of monocrystalline nanoparticles with a volume-weighted average size of about 30 nm. The optical properties of Tb3+ in the host lattice are studied in terms of PL, PLE, and lifetimes. Moreover, a correlation between the type of decay curves, the emission and excitation bands' shapes, and the site location of the emitting Tb3+ in the host material Y₂O₃ is proposed.