Issue 29, 2016

Ultraviolet and blue cathodoluminescence from cubic Y2O3 and Y2O3:Eu3+ generated in a transmission electron microscope

Abstract

Herein we describe the investigation of cubic spherical submicron particles of non-doped Y2O3 and Y2O3 doped with Eu3+ in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with a spectrometer to detect cathodoluminescence from individual particles. Each submicron particle was made up of nanometre sized crystals. We found that these crystals showed a broad emission band at 353 nm upon bombardment with 200 keV or 80 keV electrons. Upon increasing the Eu3+ concentration from 0 to 2 mol% this UV/blue emission was gradually quenched: at Eu3+ concentrations >2 mol% no UV/blue emission was detected, only the well-known cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrum of Y2O3:Eu3+ could be recorded. This UV/blue emission has been attributed to the intrinsic luminescence of Y2O3 caused by self-trapped excitons. We found that the UV/blue luminescence was strongly temperature dependent and that the trap depth of the self-trapped excitons was 0.14 eV. The ratios of the spectral radiances of 5D17FJ and 5D07FJ (J = 0, 1…6) Eu3+ transitions in the CL-TEM spectra of Y2O3:Eu3+ at low Eu3+ concentrations was about a factor of 10 larger than those recorded at 15 keV. This phenomenon has been explained by absorption of the intrinsic luminescence of Y2O3 by Eu3+.

Graphical abstract: Ultraviolet and blue cathodoluminescence from cubic Y2O3 and Y2O3:Eu3+ generated in a transmission electron microscope

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Apr 2016
Accepted
05 Jul 2016
First published
08 Jul 2016
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016,4, 7026-7034

Author version available

Ultraviolet and blue cathodoluminescence from cubic Y2O3 and Y2O3:Eu3+ generated in a transmission electron microscope

D. den Engelsen, G. R. Fern, T. G. Ireland, P. G. Harris, P. R. Hobson, A. Lipman, R. Dhillon, P. J. Marsh and J. Silver, J. Mater. Chem. C, 2016, 4, 7026 DOI: 10.1039/C6TC01750A

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