Photoluminescence properties of the Eu3+ activator ion in the TiO2 host matrix

Abstract

Titania (TiO2) is employed as a host for the Eu3+ activator ion. Thin films were produced by the sol-gel method on silicon and corning glass substrates and, depending on the nature of the substrate, they present different crystalline structure. The films show an intense red photoluminescence associated with the D05→7F2 transition of the electronic structure of Eu3+. The photoluminescence presents better characteristics for the films deposited on silicon wafers. For above band gap excitation the emission from the TiO2 matrix is obscured by the luminescence of the Eu3+ ions. The peak energy position, the spectral shape, and the width are insensitive to changes of temperature in the 12–300 K range, making the TiO2:Eu3+ a very attractive system for technological applications.

Photoluminescence properties of lamellar aggregates of titania nanosheets accommodating rare earth ions

“…Recently, strenuous efforts have been made to solve this problem by doping RE ions in semiconductor particles such as ZnS, CdS and TiO 2 , through sol-gel processing or the co-precipitation method. [3][4][5][6][7][8] The characteristic emission of RE ions has been observed from some of the doped semiconductors. However, Bol, Beek, and Meijerink reported 8 that RE ions are mostly adsorbed at the particle surface in these doped semiconductors and the characteristic emission of RE ions is not due to the energy absorbed by the host but RE ions themselves.…”

“…Samples were prepared by slow addition of a colloidal suspension of Ti 0.91 O 2 nanosheets ͑100 cm 3 , pH = 9 , 0.4 wt% ͒ to 100 cm 3 of 0.1 mol dm −3 LnCl 3 ·6H 2 O aqueous solution under stirring at room temperature. The precipitated white product was filtered, washed with ultrapure water and dried in air.…”

Upconverting Ho–Yb doped titanate nanotubes

“…Titanium dioxide has been extensively studied due to its important properties and application. This material not only has shown excellent photo-catalytic and magnetic properties [10], also it has been considered to be a potential host for lanthanide ions because of their low-cost and high transparency in the visible wavelength region as well as good thermal, chemical, and mechanical properties [11,12]. The synthesis of titanate nanotubes has been successfully obtained by a great variety of methods [13][14][15][16].…”

Ultimately simple one-pot single-step synthesis of rare earth doped spherical mesoporous metal oxide nanospheres with upconversion emission ability in supercritical methanol

“…Consequently, these NPs have attracted much attention for their potential applications in optical communications, optoelectronic devices, flat panel displays, photodynamic therapy, and biosensors [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]. Several RE dopants, such as Er 3+ [11][12][13][14][15][16], Eu 3+ [17][18][19], Sm 3+ [20,21], Tm 3+ [22], and Ho 3+ [23], have been utilized as luminescent centers. To reduce multiphonon relaxation and concentration quenching, the host materials of the UCNPs fixing the dopant in the appropriate position should be carefully selected.…”

“…Metal oxides are one of the best host materials for RE ions because many of them, such as CeO 2 , ZrO 2 , TiO 2 , etc. are highly transparent to visible light and possess strong mechanical, optical, and thermal stabilities and properties [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images were taken using JEOL JEM-2100F.…”