Luminescence of nanocrystalline erbium-doped yttria

In this paper, the luminescence, including photoluminescence, upconversion and cathodoluminescence, from single-crystalline erbium-doped yttria nanoparticles with an average diameter of 80 nm, synthesized by a molten salt method, is reported. Outstanding luminescent properties, including sharp and well-resolved photoluminescent lines in the infrared region, outstanding green and red upconversion emissions, and excellent cathodoluminescence, are observed from the nanocrystalline erbium-doped yttria. Moreover, annealing by the high power laser results in a relatively large increase in photoluminescent emission intensity without causing spectral line shift. These desirable properties make these nanocrystals promising for applications in display, bioanalysis and telecommunications.