Quenching Photoluminescence of Eu(III) by Cu(II) in ZnO:Eu3++Cu2+ Compounds by Solution Combustion Method

Abstract

In this study Cu 2+ +Eu 3+ co-doped ZnO(ZnO/Cu 2+ +Eu 3+ ) solid solution powders were synthesized by solution combustion method using as oxidant agent zinc nitrate hexahydrate and as fuel urea; the Cu 2+ concentrations were 0, 1, 2, 3, 10, and 20 %Wt; the Eu 3+ ion concentration was fixed in 3%Wt. The samples after were annealed at 900 ° C by 20 h in air. The structural results showed the largely presence of a wurtzite solid solution of Cu 2+ +Eu 3+ doped ZnO, at high Cu 2+ doping CuO and Eu 2 CuO 4 phases are also present. Morphological properties were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) technique. However it is important to remark that the Cu 2+ ions suppress the Eu 3+ ion photoluminescence (PL) by means of an overlap mechanism between Cu 2+ absorption band and Eu 3+ emission band (e.g. 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 ) of the Eu 3+ emission spectra.