Microstructure and Luminescence Properties of Tb3+ Doped ZnO Quantum Dots

In order to increase the exchange efficiency of solar cells by down-conversion, Tb3+ doped ZnO quantum dots (QDs) were successfully synthesized by sol-gel process. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results indicate that ZnO QDs have hexagonal wurtzite structure. ZnO QDs have a spherical shape and diameter around 5 nm, which was confirmed by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The intensity of visible light emission peaks becomes strengthened and then weakened with the increase of Tb3+ doping concentration. When the concentration is more than 1%, because of the decrease of surface defects and concentration quenching effect, the emissive intensity is weakened. The enhancement of the PL emission peaks at 542 nm, 582 nm, and 619 nm was assigned to energy transfer between TbS+ ions and ZnO QDs host. Moreover, the absorption spectra also demonstrates energy transfers from Tb3+ ions to ZnO QDs.