Study of Energy Transfer between Lanthanide Ions in Zirconia Nanocrystals

Abstract

This project mainly aims to study the energy transfer between the lanthanide ions, Terbium and Europium, doped in zirconia nanocrystals. Europium (III) is a vital lanthanide ion as it has narrow and strong emissions in the red region of the visible range. This helps it be easily detected using fluorescence spectroscopy. Eu3+ ions find application in various optical fields, bioimaging, and environment sensors and are also used in up- and down-conversion of light. They are also excellent indicators of their local environment, as reflected in the emission spectra. However, they only weakly absorb blue light and emit in a narrow range. As they cannot give a full spectrum emission, their scope of application is limited. Terbium (III) has an intense green emission and absorbs in the blue range of the visible spectrum. Using a sensitiser (Tb3+) that can absorb blue light and transfer this energy to the activator (Eu3+) by a non-radiative resonant energy transfer can help increase its scope of usage. Zirconia (ZrO2) acts as an excellent host for these ions, allowing energy transfer studies to be conducted in the same system. ZrO2 is biocompatible; hence, lanthanidedoped zirconia nanocrystals can be used in bio-medical fields.