Rietveld refinement, luminescence and catalytic study of as-synthesized and Dy3+-doped cubic Y2O3 nanopowder prepared by citrate mediated sol–gel technique.

This paper reports on synthesis of undoped and Dy3+-doped cubic Y2O3 nanopowder via a neoteric and conducive citrate sol–gel technique. The size and morphology of prepared nanocrystallites are explored using XRD, TG-DSC, FTIR, FESEM, and HRTEM. Rietveld refinement is employed to affirm the preparation of as-synthesized Y2O3 nanocrystallites with cubic phase. The optical behavior of as-synthesized Y2O3, Dy3+-doped Y2O3 samples are studied in terms of absorbance, PL, and CIE coordinates. It is revealed that position of absorption peak is shifted towards higher wavelength side when Dy3+ ions are introduced in Y2O3 and further on annealing. In PL spectra, prominent emission is achieved in blue region at 485 and 369 nm under direct and indirect excitation wavelengths. Catalytic performance of the samples is also examined to de-colorize cotton blue dye. Annealing for a long time generated defect states which are helpful to accelerate the photocatalytic efficiency of the prepared nanopowder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]