Synthesis of Y2O2S:Eu3+ luminescent nanobelts via electrospinning combined with sulfurization technique

Y 2 O 2 S:Eu 3+ nanobelts were successfully prepared via electrospinning method and sulfurization process using the as-prepared Y 2 O 3 :Eu 3+ nanobelts and sulfur powders as sulfur source by a double-crucible method for the first time. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the Y 2 O 2 S:Eu 3+ nanobelts were pure hexagonal in structure with space group P m 1. Scanning electron microscope images showed that the width and thickness of the Y 2 O 2 S:Eu 3+ nanobelts were ca. 6.7 μm and 125 nm, respectively. Under the excitation of 325-nm ultraviolet light, Y 2 O 2 S:Eu 3+ nanobelts exhibited red emissions of predominant peaks at 628 and 618 nm, which are attributed to the 5 D 0 → 7 F 2 transition of the Eu 3+ ions. It was found that the optimum doping concentration of Eu 3+ ions in the Y 2 O 2 S: Eu 3+ nanobelts was 3 %. Compared with bulk particle, Eu 3+ –O 2− /S 2− charge transfer bands (260 and 325 nm) of the Y 2 O 2 S:Eu 3+ nanobelts showed a blue-shift significantly. The formation mechanism of the Y 2 O 2 S: Eu 3+ nanobelts was also proposed. This new sulfurization technique is of great importance, not only to inherit the morphology of rare earth oxides but also to fabricate pure-phase rare earth oxysulfides at low temperature compared with conventional sulfurization method.