Structural and optical characterizations of Ce³⁺ -doped YSO phosphors via the addition of TEOS

In this work, Y₂ O₃ phosphors were synthesized utilizing facile sol-gel, combustion, and solid-state techniques. The tested synthesis processes provided various particle sizes from nano to submicron. To synthesize YSO:Ce³⁺ via a sol-gel method, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) was used as the precursor for SiO₂ . Crystal structure, microstructure, and optical behaviour of the synthesized nanostructured phosphors were studied using X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, and photoluminescence (PL) analyses. FT-IR analysis showed that hydrolysis of TEOS gave rise to the generation of Si-O-Si asymmetrical stretching vibrations. Addition of specific amounts of TEOS resulted in the formation of Y₂ SiO₅ /Y₂ Si₂ O₇ phosphors with different crystal structures. Upon excitation of the phosphors under 354 nm radiation, there were two strong emission peaks at 395.6 and 424.1 nm, attributed respectively to 5d-² F_5/2 and 5d-² F_7/2 electron transitions of Ce³⁺ . It was concluded that the most intense PL characteristics belonged to the combination of Y_4.67 (SiO₄ )₃ O, Y₂ Si₂ O₇ , and Y₂ SiO₅ phosphors.