Structural studies and luminescence properties of CeO2:Eu3+ nanophosphors synthesized by oxalate precursor method

A novel synthesis strategy to prepare CeO2:Eu3+ nanophosphors and its luminescence behavior is reported. Different structural characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope and thermogravimetric analysis reveal that thermal decomposition of oxalate precursor is an effective pathway to produce rare earth oxide nanocrystals. Optical characterizations of the CeO2:Eu3+ were done by UV-Visible absorption, photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra. The presence of structural defects and their role on the band gap and luminescence were discussed on the basis of absorption and emission studies. Luminescence study of the CeO2:Eu3+ ensures that the strong charge transfer band of CeO2 makes it a suitable host material for efficiently exciting Eu3+ ions by subsequent energy transfer. The dependence of luminescence efficiency of the CeO2:Eu3+ with varying concentrations of Eu3+ was also studied and discussed. The results show that Eu3+-doped CeO2 nanophosphor is a potential candidate in ultraviolet-based LEDs.