Color-Tunable Nanophosphors by Codoping Flame-Made Y2O3 with Tb and Eu

Rare-earth phosphors with tunable optical properties are used in display panels and fluorescent lamps and have potential applications in lasers and bioimaging. Here, nonaggregated Y2O3 nanocrystals either doped with Tb3+ (1-5 at %) or codoped with Tb3+ (2 at %) and Eu3+ (0.1-2 at %) ions are made in one step by scalable flame spray pyrolysis. The morphology of these nanophosphors is investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and N-2 adsorption while their optical properties are monitored by photoluminescent spectroscopy. When yttria nanocrystals are doped with terbium, a bright green emission is obtained at an optimum Tb content of 2 at %. When, however, europium is added, the emission color of these Tb-doped yttria nanophosphors can be tuned precisely from green to red depending on the Tb/Eu ratio. Furthermore, energy-transfer from Tb3+ to Eu3+ is observed, thus allowing the control of the excitation spectra of the codoped nanophosphors.