Optical and structural properties of Nd2O3-SiO2 nanocomposite as synthesized from sol-gel technique

Abstract

Nd2O3-SiO2 nanocomposite was prepared in the current work utilising the sol-gel technique. After being heated in air, the amorphous phase of silicates transformed to crystalline phase via intermediate phase as oxide. Due to its comparatively small operating temperature and ability to form nanostructures with precise size, sol-gel approach is a compelling alternative. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), which verified the structural characteristics of neodymium silicate (Nd2O3-SiO2) nanocomposites, were used to characterise the synthesised materials. The effect of duration and annealing temperature on the phase advancement of the silicates has been considered thoroughly. It was discovered that the sample was sintered for 3 hours at various temperatures, thus obtaining neodymium silicates. In addition, Optical characterization of Nd2O3 -SiO2 was performed using Photoluminescence Spectroscopy (PL).