Low-temperature synthesis of Y2SiO5:Eu3+ powders using mesoporous silica and their luminescence properties

Abstract This paper reports the synthesis of Eu3+ ions-doped Y2SiO5 (Y2SiO5:Eu3+) powders by mesoporous template route. Using mesoporous silica SBA-15 as silica source, Y2SiO5:Eu3+ powders were prepared by solid-state reaction at a calcination temperature of 1300 °C without fluxes. The prepared Y2SiO5:Eu3+ powders were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherms, and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The results show that the crystalline Y2SiO5:Eu3+ particles are dense and have a morphology similar to SBA-15. The low calcination temperature is attributed to the high reactive activity of SBA-15 with large surface area and non-crystalline structure. The Y2SiO5:Eu3+ powders prepared at a low calcination temperature show luminescence properties similar to the reported results of Eu3+ doped-Y2SiO5 samples prepared at high temperatures.