Author(s)

Ana P. de Moura, Larissa H. Oliveira, Icamira C. Nogueira, Paula F. S. Pereira, Maximo S. Li, Elson Longo, José A. Varela, Ieda L. V. Rosa

Chemistry Institute, State University of Sao Paulo-UNESP, Araraquara, Brazil.
Department of Chemistry, Federal University of Sao Carlos, S?o Carlos, Brazil.
Department of Engineering Materials, Federal University of Sao Carlos, S?o Carlos, Brazil.
Institute of Physics of S?o Carlos, USP, S?o Carlos, Brazil.

In this paper, we report the obtention of gadolinium oxide doped with europium (Gd₂O₃:Eu⁺³) by thermal decomposition of the Gd(OH)₃:Eu³⁺ precursor prepared by the microwave assisted hydrothermal method. These systems were analyzed by thermalgravimetric analyses (TGA/DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), structural Rietveld refinement method, fourrier transmission infrared absorbance spectroscopy (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and photoluminescence (PL) measurement. XRD patterns, Rietveld refinement analysis and FT-IR confirmed that the Gd(OH)₃:Eu³⁺ precursor crystallize in a hexagonal structure and space group P6/m, while the Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺ powders annealed in range of 500^°C and 700^°C crystallized in a cubic structure with space group Ia-3. FE-SEM images showed that Gd(OH)₃:Eu³⁺ precursor and Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺ are composed by aggregated and polydispersed particles structured as nanorods-like morphology. The excitation spectra consisted of an intense broad band with a maximum at 263 nm and the Eu³⁺ ions can be excitated via matrix. The emission spectra presented the characteristics transitions of the Eu³⁺ ion, whose main emission, , is observed at 612 nm. The photophysical properties indicated that the microwave sintering treatment favored the Eu³⁺ ions connected to the O-Gd linkages in the Gd₂O₃ matrix. Also, the emission in the Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺ comes from the energy transfered from the Gd-O linkages to the clusters in the crystalline structure.

Gadolinuim Oxide, Europium Luminescence, Nanorods

Moura, A. , Oliveira, L. , Nogueira, I. , Pereira, P. , Li, M. , Longo, E. , Varela, J. and Rosa, I. (2014) Synthesis, Structural and Photophysical Properties of Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺ Nanostructures Prepared by a Microwave Sintering Process. Advances in Chemical Engineering and Science, 4, 374-388. doi: 10.4236/aces.2014.43041.