Influence of morphological transformation on luminescence properties of europium-doped gadolinium oxide nanostructures

Abstract

Low dimensional europium (Eu³⁺)-doped gadolinium oxide (Gd₂O₃) lanthanide nanostructures are synthesized by an effective and simple coprecipitation process followed by subsequent heat treatments. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) images indicate Eu³⁺-doped Gd₂O₃ nanostructures undergo significant morphological changes from nanorods to nanoparticles during thermal treatments. Nanostructures with different morphology, including nanotubes, strongly influence the photoluminescence properties. The dependence of luminescence lifetime on morphological nature of the nanostructures demonstrates that the one dimensional nanostructures such as nanorods and nanotubes have higher emission intensity with shorter lifetime. Our analysis suggests that the morphological transformation of the nanostructures plays the most important role in the behavior of radiative and nonradiative relaxation mechanisms, resulting in the overall photoluminescence properties.