Synthesis and characterization of Eu(3+), Ti(4+) @ ZnO organosols and nanocrystalline c-ZnTiO(3) thin films aiming at high transparency and luminescence

By exploiting colloidal properties, such as transparency, rheology and versatile chemistry, we propose to synthesize new photonic nanomaterials based on colloidal solutions and thin films. This contribution highlights our efforts to elaborate and to characterize nanostructures based on the ZnO-TiO(2) system. Using a recently developed sol-gel route to synthesize new Ti(4+)@ZnO organosols, we were able to prepare, at relatively low temperature (400 °C) and short annealing time (15 min), highly transparent, luminescent, nanocrystalline Eu(3+) doped c-ZnTiO(3) thin films. The organosols and thin films were characterized with UV-visible-near infrared absorption, ellipsometry, photoluminescence spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy.