Temperature and TiO2 content effects on the photoluminescence properties of Eu3+ doped TiO2–SiO2 powders

Abstract

Eu 3 + doped TiO2–SiO2 powders were produced by the sol-gel method. The TiO2 content was changed from low to high content (20–100 mol %) annealing at 900 °C for 1 h, and the 2 mol % Eu3+ doped 60%TiO2–40%SiO2 powders were annealed at different temperatures (600–1000 °C). The structure of the samples was investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, and Raman technique. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra and PL excitation spectra were recorded at room temperature. The results showed that the PL intensity was dependent on the annealing temperatures and TiO2 content, which could be attributed to the cluster formation.