Synthesis and characterization of Eu3+,Ti4+@ZnO organosols and nanocrystalline c-ZnTiO3 thin films aiming at high transparency and luminescence

Abstract

By exploiting colloidal properties, such as transparency, rheology and versatile chemistry, we propose to synthesize new photonic nanomaterials based on colloidal solutions and thin films. This contribution highlights our efforts to elaborate and to characterize nanostructures based on the ZnO–TiO2 system. Using a recently developed sol–gel route to synthesize new Ti4+@ZnO organosols, we were able to prepare, at relatively low temperature (400 °C) and short annealing time (15 min), highly transparent, luminescent, nanocrystalline Eu3+ doped c-ZnTiO3 thin films. The organosols and thin films were characterized with UV-visible-near infrared absorption, ellipsometry, photoluminescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.