Preparation and luminescence of y₂O₃:Eu³⁺ nanopowder

Eu³⁺ doped Y₂O₃ nanopowder was prepared by a novel complex precipitation process in which the mixture of ammonium water and ammonium hydrogen carbonate was adopted as complex precipitant. The precipitant precursor and the resultant powder were characterized by FT-IR, XRD, SEM and TEM. The resultant weakly agglomerate and spherical particles have a uniform grain size about 20nm after calcined at 850°C for 2 hours. 3mol% Eu³⁺ doped Y₂O₃ nanopowder shows an intense red luminescence at 612nm under UV excitation.