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Optical and structural properties of Nd doped SnO sub(2) powder fabricated by the sol-gel method

We report on the structural and optical properties of undoped and neodymium doped SnO sub(2) powders (0, 1, 3, and 5 at% of Nd) synthesized by the sol-gel method. SEM and TEM microscopy techniques reveal a nanometric scale of the powders. We show that the tetragonal rutile phase is achieved after an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of materials chemistry. C, Materials for optical and electronic devices Materials for optical and electronic devices, 2014-09, Vol.2 (39), p.8235-8243
Main Authors: Bouras, K, Rehspringer, J-L, Schmerber, G, Rinnert, H, Colis, S, Ferblantier, G, Balestrieri, M, Ihiawakrim, D, Dinia, A, Slaoui, A
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Language:English
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Summary:We report on the structural and optical properties of undoped and neodymium doped SnO sub(2) powders (0, 1, 3, and 5 at% of Nd) synthesized by the sol-gel method. SEM and TEM microscopy techniques reveal a nanometric scale of the powders. We show that the tetragonal rutile phase is achieved after annealing at 700 degree C. The crystallite size of the doped SnO sub(2) is found to decrease gradually with the increase of Nd content without changing the SnO sub(2) structure. A strong decrease in the intensity of the Raman peaks is noted for doped powders, which can be attributed to the location of Nd super(3+) ions at the Sn sites indicating Nd incorporation into the host matrix. For the first time the optical properties were studied by UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy and revealed Nd related absorption bands in the SnO sub(2) matrix. The investigation of the photoluminescence properties shows broad emission centred around 550-650 nm originating from defects present in the SnO sub(2) host matrix. Under 325 nm laser excitation, a strong photoluminescence of trivalent Nd is observed in the infrared region and shows Nd related emission peaks at 885, 1065, and 1336 nm. Such a strong PL signal under laser excitation indicates that Nd super(3+) is optically active. The excitation dependent PL (PLE) recorded in the 450-700 nm range confirms the presence of active Nd super(3+) successfully inserted into the SnO sub(2) host matrix.
ISSN:2050-7526
2050-7534
DOI:10.1039/c4tc01202j