Structural and optical investigations of Gd₂O₃:Dy³⁺ nanophosphor

Powder sample of Gd₂O₃:Dy³⁺ nano-phosphor was synthesized by citrate sol-gel technique. The synthesized sample was annealed at 650°C for 4 h at a rate of 2°C/min. Structural and optical investigations of pristine and annealed samples were carried out with the help of XRD, FTIR, FESEM, EDS and Photoluminescence (PL) spectra. Crystallite size, lattice parameter and micro-strain of cubic Gd₂O₃:Dy³⁺ were evaluated by Debye-Scherrer equation and Williamson-Hall Equation, respectively. Nelson-Riley and Bradley-Jay plotswere utilized for precise measurement of lattice parameter. In optical investigations, intense blue emissions at 486 nm and yellow emission at 572 nm was observed in pristine sample. It is observed that the intensity of characteristic emission in annealed sample has been enhanced with slight shift in their position may be due to increased number of defect states.