Luminescent properties and characterization of one dimensional Gd(2)O(3):Eu(3+) phosphor nano-wire for field emission application.

Gd(2)O(3):Eu(3+) nano-wire phosphors embedded in SBA-15 silica templates were synthesized using a combination of the sol-gel method and hydrothermal reactions followed by a sintering process at 1000 °C. The crystal structure of Gd(2)O(3):Eu(3+) was confirmed using x-ray diffraction. Observation using transmission electron microscopy shows that the nano-wire diameters were very uniform in the 7-9 nm range. In comparison with bulk Gd(2)O(3):Eu(3+) materials, we found that the photo-luminescent property of the nano-wire was different. The analysis shows that the main nano-wire emission peaks were at 585, 597, 613 and 620 nm. The CIE value (x = 0.62, y = 0.38) indicates that the nano-wire emitted a pink colour and not red as for the bulk material. The field emission experimental results agreed well with the photo-luminescent analysis results.