One-dimensional Eu(3+) doped gadolinium oxysulfide (Gd(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+)) nanotubes/nanorods have been synthesized via precursors of Gd(OH)(3) nanostructures using a hydrothermal technique. The blue-shifts in the optical spectra for the Gd(2)O(2)S:Eu(3+) system corresponding to the fundamental absorption and Eu(3+)-X(2-) ligand (X =  O/S) charge transfer bands (CTBs) are significant (∼0.22-0.36 eV) with respect to the bulk counterpart. The nanotubes are good candidates for investigating the size-induced electrical and optical properties of functional oxysulfides. In order to identify the origin and nature of the electronic transitions observed in the visible region, optical and photo-induced impedance measurements have been extended to the nanotubes in this report.

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Red light emitting cubic ZrEuO:Li (0-9 mol%) nanoparticles are synthesized by a low temperature, self-propagating solution combustion method using oxalyl di-hydrazide (ODH) as fuel. In this study, we report systematic investigation of the effect of lithium ion (Li) concentration on the structural properties and the photoluminescence of zirconia. With increasing lithium concentration, the crystallinity of the samples increases and the lattice strain decreases. The higher crystallinity is likely due to charge compensation achieved by replacing one Zr ion by a Eu and a Li ion. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) reveal a mesoporous structure characteristic of combustion derived nanomaterials. Photoluminescence (PL) spectra show that the intensity of the red emission (606 nm) is highly dependent on Li ion concentration. Furthermore there is a promising enhancement in the associated lifetime. Upon Li doping, the PL intensity of the samples is found to increase by two fold compared to the undoped sample. Variation of PL intensity with Li concentration is attributed to the differences in probability of non-radiative recombination (relaxing). Intensity parameters (Ω, Ω) and radiative properties such as transition rates (A), branching ratios (β), stimulated emission cross-section (σ), gain bandwidth (σ × Δλ) and optical gain (σ × τ) are calculated using the Judd-Ofelt theory. The calculated values suggest that in optimally co-doped samples, in addition to improved crystallinity and charge compensation, the lowering of Eu site symmetry and the increase in the covalency of Eu-O bonding due to interstitial Li are responsible for the observed enhancement in PL intensity.

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