Sonochemical preparation and characterization of europium oxide doped in and coated on ZrO₂ and yttrium-stabilized zirconium (YSZ)

Ultrasound radiation was used to prepare Eu₂O₃ dd in zirconia and yttrium-stabilized zirconium (YSZ) nanoparticles. Europium oxide was also coated on the surface of submicron spherical zirconia and YSZ, which were fabricated by wet chemical methods. The coating process also used ultrasonic waves. Time decay measurements of the doped and coated materials were conducted using a pulsed laser source. Lifetimes < 1.1 ms radiative lifetime of the Eu³⁺ ion were detected for the doped and coated as-prepared materials. When the doped and coated samples were annealed at 700 °C, longer lifetimes were measured. The shorter lifetimes were attributed to concentration quenching.