Judd−Ofelt Intensity Parameters and Spectral Properties of Gd₂O₃:Eu³⁺Nanocrystals

Abstract

Three nonequivalent centers of Cs (A, B, and C) in monoclinic phase and C2 and S6 centers in cubic phase were identified in the Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanocrystals with spectral techniques. Size dependence in the spectra indicated that the excitations from both host and charge-transfer band (CTB) for the 5D0 --> 7F2 transition of Eu3+ ions were nearly equal for a larger size of 135 nm of the cubic phase; however, with decreasing the size to or less than 23 nm, the excitations by the CTB dominated. The variation of excitation leading to the symmetry and energy change in the C2 and S6 sites was also observed for larger particle sizes. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters Omega(lambda) (lambda = 2, 4) for Gd2O3:Eu3+ nanoparticles were experimentally determined. The parameters Omega(lambda) were found to significantly change with the sizes of Gd2O3:Eu3+ from nanoparticles to bulk material. With decreasing the size from 135 to 15 nm, the quantum efficiencies for 5D0 reduced from 23.6% to 4.6% due to the increasing ratio of surface to volume.