Synthesis, characterization and optical properties of Eu2O3 mesoporous thin films

For the first time, nanocrystalline Eu2O3 thin films, exhibiting ∼50% of porous volume, highly accessible mesoporosity, pore diameter of about 10 nm, and thermal stability up to 830 deg. C, were prepared using the evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) process from europium (III) chloride and specific polyethylene oxide based copolymer structuring agent. Crystallization of the inorganic network was achieved through a controlled thermal treatment sequence that was followed by in situ time-resolved SAXS/WAXS analysis involving synchrotron radiation. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to complete the characterization of the crystallization of the film. Porous structures were additionally analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and environmental ellipsometry porosimetry (EEP), while the composition of the films was characterized by Rutherford back-scattering (RBS). Finally, the luminescence properties of these layers were investigated