Structural, EPR, optical and Raman studies of Nd2O3:Cu2+ nanophosphors

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Neodymium oxide (Nd(2)O(3)) is a rare-earth oxide with potential applications in phosphors.
• Doping with transition metals like copper (Cu(2+)) can modify the optical and electronic properties of host materials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize nanocrystalline Nd(2)O(3):Cu(2+) phosphors.
• To investigate the structural, morphological, and optical properties of the synthesized materials.
• To understand the influence of copper doping on the properties of Nd(2)O(3).

Main Methods:

• Low-temperature solution combustion synthesis.
• Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) with Rietveld refinement.
• Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).
• Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy.
• Raman spectroscopy.
• UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Hexagonal A-type Nd(2)O(3) structure confirmed with evaluated lattice parameters.
• Irregular, porous particle morphology observed via TEM.
• EPR spectra indicated Cu(2+) ions in octahedral symmetry with tetragonal distortion.
• Raman peak intensity reduced upon Cu(2+) doping.
• UV-Visible spectra showed a broad absorption band at ~240nm, red-shifted by ~14nm in doped samples.
• Optical band gap increased from 4.7eV (bulk) to 5.28eV (nanoparticles) due to quantum confinement.

Conclusions:

• Nanocrystalline Nd(2)O(3):Cu(2+) phosphors were successfully synthesized.
• Copper doping and quantum confinement effects significantly alter the optical properties.
• The synthesized phosphors show potential for applications requiring specific optical characteristics.