In this study we have synthesized ZnO:EuCl3 phosphors under various sintering atmospheres and temperatures, and investigated the effect of coupling structure of Eu in ZnO upon the photoluminescent characteristics for the purpose of searching for optimum conditions towards pure red emission. The analysis of x-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectra measurements indicate that, for ZnO:EuCl3 phosphors sintered in vacuum, Eu exists in the host lattice as EuOCl and effectively quenches the broad-band emission of the ZnO host, consequently isolating the red emission due to Eu3+ ion.

Nanostructured materials with diameters less than 100 nm have been studied vigorously in recent years. Many studies have been devoted on exceptional optical properties induced by quantum confinement for fundamental research and applications. For excellent luminescence characteristics, phosphor particles have to acquire fine size, narrow size distribution, non-aggregation, good crystalline, and spherical morphology. A liquid-phase reaction method was chosen in this study due to the low reaction temperature. Gd2O3:Eu3+ phosphors were synthesized by the liquid-phase reaction method and the effect of activation temperature on optical properties of the phosphors was investigated.

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