Open Journal of Applied Sciences, 2018, 8, 441-445

http://www.scirp.org/journal/ojapps
ISSN Online: 2165-3925
ISSN Print: 2165-3917

Blue-Red Tuning Emission of ZnO: Europium

Quantum Dots with Different Excitation
Wavelengths

Primitivo Ortiz Maldonado1, Ana K. Chavez-Alvarado2, Francisco J. Rodríguez Gutierrez2,

Joan Reyes Miranda2, Dulce Y. Medina Velazquez2, Miguel A. Barron2, Elizabeth Garfias García2

Universidad Autónoma Intercultural de Sinaloa, El Fuerte, México

1

División de Ciencias Básicas e Ingeniería, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Reynosa Tamaulipas, México
2

How to cite this paper: Maldonado, P.O., Abstract

Chavez-Alvarado, A.K., Gutierrez, F.J.R.,
Miranda, J.R., Velazquez, D.Y.M., Barron, Optoelectronic applications require the development of new fluorescent and
M.A. and García, E.G. (2018) Blue-Red
efficient luminescent materials, free of toxicity, low in cost, and easy to pro-
Tuning Emission of ZnO: Europium
Quantum Dots with Different Excitation duce. In this way the synthesis of zinc-oxide (ZnO) quantum dots (QDs) has
Wavelength. Open Journal of Applied recently received special attention due to their good optical, electrical and
Sciences, 8, 441-445. chemical properties with low production costs and blue light emission. In this
https://doi.org/10.4236/ojapps.2018.810034
work ZnO QDs were successfully doped with europium in order to obtain a
Received: September 11, 2018 tunable emission luminescence from blue emission of ZnO to red emission of
Accepted: October 9, 2018 europium as a function of wavelength excitation. Results show an efficient
Published: October 12, 2018
blue to red tuning when the excitation wavelength was changed from 317 nm
Copyright © 2018 by authors and to 395 nm, respectively. This opens the possibility of having new optical de-
Scientific Research Publishing Inc. vices to produce different color emission using the same material.
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution International Keywords
License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Chromaticity Diagram, Emission Spectra, Europium Luminescence,
Open Access Red-Blue Tuning, ZnO Quantum Dots, White Light

1. Introduction
Quantum dots (QDs) are crystalline particles nanometer-sized composed of
lanthanide semiconductors which have highly efficient optical properties. QDs
have many applications due to their strong and stable fluorescence with tunable
light emission and absorption. Their main applications are efficient lighting,
photovoltaic energy, and training of biological images [1]. On the other hand,

DOI: 10.4236/ojapps.2018.810034 Oct. 12, 2018 441 Open Journal of Applied Sciences
P. O. Maldonado et al.

ZnO QD has high quantum yield, quantum size effects, broad absorption and
narrow emission spectrum. ZnO QDs are environmental friendly, nontoxic, less
expensive, and biocompatible compared to traditional QDs semiconductors such as
CdS, CdTe, and CdSe [2] [3] [4]. Besides, ZnO is a wide and direct band-gap n type
(3.37 eV) semiconductor, and shows a large exciton binding energy of 60 meV
[5]-[12] which has recently attracted considerable interest for applications in
optical and optoelectronic devices such as blue light-emitting diodes covering
the absorption of the entire ultraviolet range. Moreover, the ZnO QDs exhibit a
hydrophilic character since they show great stability in water without a decrease
in their luminescent properties. In a recent paper, it is reported that the incor-
poration of ZnO QDs enhance the optical performance of the grating [7].
Different methods have been proposed to the synthesis of ZnO QDs, like ra-
dio frequency magnetron sputtering, molecular-beam epitaxy, pulsed laser de-
position, chemical-vapor deposition and sol-gel process [13] [14]. The sol-gel
method has been proposed, since presents several advantages like: high purity,
ultra-homogeneity, low processing temperature and the possibility to incorpo-
rate lanthanide ions into an oxide host. In this regard, the red light emission of
Eu3+ lanthanide ions are well known when they are used as light activators of
ZnO QDs.
In this regard, the present work reports a photoluminescence study of euro-
pium-doped ZnO QDs as possible tunable material from blue emission arising
from the ZnO host to the red emission coming from Eu3+ ions by exciting at dif-
ferent wavelengths (317 - 395 nm). The results show different emission spectra
when the wavelength excitation was changed in order to analyze the emission of
de ZnO and Europium ions for different intensity ratios.

2. Experimental
2.1. QDs Preparation
For the preparation of ZnO nanoparticles doped with europium (Eu), europium
chloride (EuCl3) and zinc acetate (Zn(C4H6O4)) were chosen as precursors. As
solvents, methanol (CH3OH) and glycerol (C3H8O3) were used. Acetic acid
(CH3COOH) was employed as modifier, and distilled water was used for wash-
ing.
The synthesis of the sample consisted of mixing and dissolving 0.164 g of zinc
acetate (98% Sigma Aldrich), 0.05 g of europium chloride (99.9% Sigma Al-
drich), 2.5 g of glycerol and 2 g of methanol. Then, the sample was heated to
120˚C under vigorous stirring and the colloidal solution was kept at that tem-
perature for 1 h. During the process, at 30 min the solution took a yellow color
and around 45 min the nanoparticles began to nucleate and grow, taking a white
color in short time. After 1 h, 100 μl of acetic acid was added in order to evapo-
rate the highest amount of solvents used in the synthesis and until the final ob-
tainment of 5 ml of colloidal solution. The ZnO nanoparticles exhibited a hy-
drophilic character since they showed great stability in water without a decrease

DOI: 10.4236/ojapps.2018.810034 442 Open Journal of Applied Sciences

 P. O. Maldonado et al.

in their luminescent properties. In a recent paper, it is reported that the incor-

poration of ZnO QDs enhance the optical performance of the grating [7].

2.2. Photoluminescence Characterization

Photoluminescence spectra were recorded by means of a Horiba Jobin Yvon
Fluorolog Spectrofluorometer equipped with a 150 W ozone-free Xenon lamp
for the steady state mode. All the measurements were carried out at room tem-
perature.

3. Results and Discussion

Photoluminescence Emission Spectra
Figure 1 shows the emission luminescence characterization. As the wavelength ex-
citation was increased the emission of ZnO was changed from 405 nm to 450 nm.
One interesting feature presented is that at 405 nm the transition of Europium
ions is diminished. When the wavelength was increased to 392 nm the transition
of Europium ions is highly increased, and the maximum emission was obtained
at 395 nm of excitation wavelength, showing that the ZnO emission is singly de-
creased for an energy transfer process. Europium presented the characteristic
transitions 5D0 → 7F1, 5D0 → 7F2 and 5D0 → 7F3.
Figure 2 shows the CIE (Commission Internationale de lÉclairage) chroma-
ticity diagram at different wavelengths of excitation. It can be appreciated that
the emission color moves from blue to red as the wavelength excitation changes
from 317, 320, 392, 393 and 395 nm. This is because the ZnO emission moves
from 405 nm to 450 nm and also because the emission intensity of europium was
increased. These results confirm the tunable color of the emission when the wa-
velength is changed.

Figure 1. Emission spectra of ZnO:Eu QDs at different wavelengths of excitation.

DOI: 10.4236/ojapps.2018.810034 443 Open Journal of Applied Sciences

P. O. Maldonado et al.

A exc 317nm
B exc 320nm
C exc 392nm
D exc 393nm
E exc 395nm

E
D
A BC

Figure 2. CIE chromaticity diagram of the emission color at

different wavelengths of excitation.

4. Conclusion
The synthesis of europium doped zinc oxide quantum dots were successfully
carried out. The broad blue emission centered at 405 nm arising from ZnO host
is recorded at a wavelength excitation of 317 and 320 nm, while the characte-
ristic transition of Eu3+ ions (5D0 → 7F2) was low compared to the ZnO emis-
sion. However, the excitation at 392 nm changes the emission of the ZnO host
at 455 nm and the emission of Eu3+ is lightly increased. Finally, the occurrence of
a highly emission of Eu3+ ions is recorded by exciting at 393 and 395 nm. This
last result allows tuning the color emission from blue to red.

Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología
(CONACyT) Project No. 254280. Primitivo Ortiz thanks to UAIS for the sup-
ported to finish his bachelor and make this research project, and thanks to all the
professors of Quality System Engineering of UAIS for the supported.

Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this pa-
per.

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