The main purpose of this work is to explore the photoluminescence behaviour of borohydride-derived cerium-doped tetragonal zirconia nanoparticles. Spherical ultra-fine nanoparticles of tetragonal zirconia were prepared via the precipitation method using sodium borohydride as a precipitant. In spite of the precipitating agent, sodium borohydride helped to form loose as-synthesized nanopowders, and the growth of particles was controlled in nanoscale up to a moderate temperature. Moreover, the incorporation of cerium ions creates defects in the tetragonal structure of zirconia. The presence of defects along with nanosized particles led to show a broad photoluminescence emission for all the samples. Furthermore, the cerium-doped tetragonal zirconia samples indicate bluish-violet emission based on the photoluminescence emission spectra as well as CIE coordinates. Results obtained from PL emission, CIE coordinates, and powder colour suggested that the cerium-doped tetragonal zirconia, prepared under air and argon atmosphere, can be used as a luminescent material for violet-blue lighting applications.

Graphical abstract

中文翻译：

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硼氢化物衍生的掺铈氧化锆纳米粒子在空气和氩气退火条件下的光谱研究

这项工作的主要目的是探索硼氢化物衍生的铈掺杂四方氧化锆纳米粒子的光致发光行为。以硼氢化钠为沉淀剂，通过沉淀法制备了四方晶氧化锆的球形超细纳米粒子。尽管有沉淀剂，硼氢化钠有助于形成松散的合成纳米粉末，并且颗粒的生长在纳米级控制到适中的温度。此外，铈离子的掺入会在氧化锆的四方结构中产生缺陷。缺陷和纳米颗粒的存在导致所有样品都显示出广泛的光致发光发射。此外，基于光致发光发射光谱以及 CIE 坐标，铈掺杂的四方氧化锆样品显示出蓝紫色发射。从 PL 发射、CIE 坐标和粉末颜色获得的结果表明，在空气和氩气气氛下制备的掺铈四方氧化锆可用作紫蓝色照明应用的发光材料。

图形概要