Influence of Hydrogen Peroxide Addition on Photoluminescence of Y 2 O 3 : Eu 3+ Nanophosphors Prepared by Laser Ablation in Water

Y 2 O 3 : Eu 3+ red phosphors were synthesized by laser irradiation of Eu‐doped Y 2 O 3 sintered targets immersed in water. The photoluminescence (PL) of the nanoparticles ( NP s) was significantly enhanced by adding hydrogen peroxide to the water. Targets were synthesized using three methods, namely, sol–gel ( SG ), homogeneous‐precipitation ( HP ), and solid‐state reaction ( SSR ) followed by sintering. The sintered SG target contained 8.6 wt% of hexagonal oxygen‐deficient byproduct, while the other targets were composed of pure cubic phase. The amount of hexagonal oxygen‐deficient and monoclinic by‐products in the nanophosphors increased to 33 wt% and 27 wt% in irradiated SG ‐ and HP ‐derived targets, respectively. The SSR ‐derived NP s were almost pure cubic phase. Addition of H 2 O 2 to the water minimized the amount of hexagonal oxygen‐deficient and monoclinic byproducts (5.7 wt% and 6.4 wt% for SG ‐ and HP ‐derived NP s respectively). Moreover, the PL of the NP s was enhanced by the formation of a pure cubic phase, and the optimum amount of added H 2 O 2 for maximum luminescence was 5 wt%.