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Heavily impregnated ceria nanoparticles with europium oxide: spectroscopic evidences for homogenous solid solutions and intrinsic structure of Eu3+-oxygen environments

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Abstract

We report on the homogeneity, structural and luminescence properties of ceria nanoparticles doped with Eu3+. Eu3+ in concentration of 1, 5 and 10 wt% was incorporated via wetness impregnation into preformed ceria nanoparticles followed by calcination in air at 1000 °C. A remarkable homogeneity of Eu3+-ceria solid solutions is measured for ceria grown by citrate and micro-emulsion methods using Raman, Diffuse Reflectance in UV–Vis, photoluminescence spectroscopies and X-ray diffraction, even for the Eu3+ concentration of 10 wt%. The emission properties of all Eu3+-doped ceria samples are well-characterized by a two main centre model assigned to perturbed and isolated Eu3+ centres. These centres correspond to Eu3+ located in the nearest (local symmetry lower than cubic and Eu3+-oxygen coordination lower than eight) and next-nearest-neighbour positions (cubic local symmetry and eightfold Eu3+-oxygen coordination) to oxygen vacancy, respectively. With increase of Eu3+ concentration, both the oxygen vacancy concentration and the relative contribution of the perturbed Eu3+ centre to the total emission increase. It is established that the characteristic emission and excitation spectra of the two main Eu3+ centres as well as the overall multisite distribution of Eu3+ within ceria lattice are intrinsic properties of Eu3+-doped ceria since these do not depend on synthesis route, nanoparticle size and Eu3+ concentration.

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Acknowledgements

Avram D, Cojocaru B and Tiseanu C acknowledge the Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research(CNCS-UEFISCDI) (project number PN-II-ID-PCE-2011-3-0534) for the financial support. Tiseanu C and Florea M also acknowledge COST Action CM1104 ‘Reducible oxide chemistry, structure and functions’.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, P.O. Box MG-36, 76900, Bucharest-Magurele, Romania

    Daniel Avram & Carmen Tiseanu

  2. Department of Chemical Technology and Catalysis, University of Bucharest, 4–12 Regina Elisabeta Bvd., Bucharest, Romania

    Codruta Rotaru, Bogdan Cojocaru & Mihaela Florea

  3. Centro de Investigación en Materiales Avanzados, S. C. (CIMAV), Unidad Monterrey, Alianza Norte 202, 66600, Apodaca, Nuevo León, Mexico

    Margarita Sanchez-Dominiguez

  4. Instituto de Quimica Avanzada de Cataluna, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (IQAC-CSIC), CIBER en Biotecnologia, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER BBN), Jordi Girona 18–26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Margarita Sanchez-Dominiguez

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  1. Daniel Avram
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  2. Codruta Rotaru
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  3. Bogdan Cojocaru
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  4. Margarita Sanchez-Dominiguez
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  5. Mihaela Florea
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  6. Carmen Tiseanu
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Correspondence to Carmen Tiseanu.

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Avram, D., Rotaru, C., Cojocaru, B. et al. Heavily impregnated ceria nanoparticles with europium oxide: spectroscopic evidences for homogenous solid solutions and intrinsic structure of Eu3+-oxygen environments. J Mater Sci 49, 2117–2126 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-013-7904-6

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