Morphology controllable synthesis of yttrium oxide-based phosphors from yttrium citrate precursors

A novel yttrium citrate-templated conversion method for morphology controlled synthesis of Y2O3 microspheres, microflowers and microsheets was reported for the first time. The precursors with controllable morphologies were synthesized with a homogenous precipitation method in aqueous solution without any surfactant. Y2O3 samples with well-preserved morphological architectures were obtained by a subsequent thermal transformation strategy. The chemical formula of the precursor was identified and a two-stage growth mechanism was proposed. The effects of the aging time, reaction temperature, reactant concentration and molar ratio of yttrium nitrate to sodium citrate were discussed. The photoluminescence properties of the Y2O3:Eu3+ microspheres, microflowers and microsheets prepared were also studied.