Nanocrystalline (Y1-xEux)2O3 powder was synthesized via a chemical vapour reaction. Xray
diffraction revealed the structure of cubic yttria with crystallite sizes of about 5 nm. The Eudopand
concentrations x for the samples in the range from 0.003 up to 0.165 were determined by
EDX-spectra. The luminescence of the nanopowders was investigated by continuous and timeresolved
UV-fluorescence spectroscopy and compared to a microcrystalline Y2O3:Eu phosphor as a
reference. The emission spectra show an increasing intensity for higher doping concentrations.
However, compared to the microcrystalline material the yield was significantly lower. The lifetime
of the 5D0 – 7FJ transition in the nanocrystalline Y2O3:Eu was found to be significantly longer than
for the microcrystalline reference sample. For increasing Eu-content the lifetime in the
nanocrystalline samples decreased continuously from 3.71 ms to a value of 1.20 ms for the highest
doping concentration. The concentration dependent lifetime behaviour was interpreted by energy
transfer between Eu ions and from Eu ions to impurities as a competing process to the radiative 5D0
– 7F2 transition.
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