Energy transfer between Tb3+ and Eu3+ in co-doped Y2O3 nanocrystals prepared by Pechini method

• Published in: Journal of nanoparticle research : an interdisciplinary forum for nanoscale science and technology 2013-07, Vol.15 (7), Article 1753
• Main Authors: Back, M., Boffelli, M., Massari, A., Marin, R., Enrichi, F., Riello, P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Characterization and Evaluation of Materials; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science; rheology; Exact sciences and technology; Inorganic Chemistry; Lasers; Materials Science; Methods of nanofabrication; Nanocrystalline materials; Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization; Nanotechnology; Optical Devices; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Optical properties of low-dimensional, mesoscopic, and nanoscale materials and structures; Optics; Photonics; Physical Chemistry; Physics; Research Paper
• ISSN: 1388-0764; 1572-896X
• DOI: 10.1007/s11051-013-1753-8

Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ co-doped Y 2 O 3 nanoparticles with a volume-weighted average size of about 30 nm were synthesized via simple Pechini-type sol–gel process. The growth of monocrystalline nanoparticles is investigated via XRD and TEM analysis. The study of energy transfer between Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ ions was carried out by means of PL, PLE, and photoluminescence decay analyses. The energy transfer from Tb 3+ to Eu 3+ is efficient and we show how a resonant type via a dipole–dipole interaction is the most probable mechanism. We compared the energy-transfer efficiencies calculated from the intensities and from the lifetimes of 5 D 4 ⟶ 7 F 5 transition of Tb, showing the presence of two populations of Tb, with different local surroundings, in the matrix. Furthermore, the critical distance between Tb 3+ and Eu 3+ ions has been calculated by means of different theories, from a new probabilistic approach based on the discretization of the theory of Chandrasekhar about the distribution of the nearest neighbors in a random distribution of particles, and from the PL data, suggesting a value of about 7 Å.