Photoluminescence of core–shell nanoparticles made from yttrium stabilized zirconia powder grain coated with alumina

Abstract

A YSZ@Al₂O₃ nanocomposite was obtained by Al₂O₃ coating on the surface of yttrium stabilized zirconia via a polymeric precursor method. The resulting core–shell structures were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electronic microscopy and PL spectra. The TEM micrographs clearly show a homogeneous Al₂O₃ shell around the ZrO₂ core. The observed PL is related to surface–interface defects. Such novel technologies can, in principle, explore materials which are not available in the bulk single crystal form but their figure-of-merit is dramatically dependent on the surface–interface defect states.