Electrochemical preparation and photoluminescence of Y1.95Eu0.05O3 hierarchical nanosheets

Large scale Y1.95Eu0.05O3 hierarchical nanosheets were synthesized from aqueous solution containing Y(NO3)3, Eu(NO3)3, and NH4NO3 with a current density of 2.0 mA·cm− 2 at 343 K via a simple and efficient electrodeposition method. The H2 gas bubbles functioning as a dynamic template are responsible for the growth of ordered Eu doped Y2O3 nanosheets. The thickness of these nanosheets in the range of 5–20 nm, and Y1.95Eu0.05O3 nanosheets with the cubic phase are obtained after calcining at 600 °C for 1 h in air. The correlation between the structure and the photoluminescence properties of the as-prepared and calcined nanosheets was also investigated.