Influence of Annealing Temperature on the Performance of Lu2O3:Eu3+ Nanowire Arrays Synthesized by Sol-gel Method Using AAO Template

Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanowire arrays were synthesized by the sol–gel immersion method using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. The influence of annealing temperature on the morphology, crystallinity, luminescence, and transmittance of the Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanowire arrays in the AAO templates was studied. The results show that the nanowires in the AAO templates are dense and orderly. Their diameters are uniform and defined by the templates. As annealing temperature increases from 500 °C to 900 °C, the shape of the nanowires remains substantially unchanged, but the crystallinity is greatly improved. When the annealing temperature reaches 1000 °C, the AAO template begins to crystallize and the samples begin to deform or even crack. In view of the fact that a scintillation screen for X-ray imaging requires not only high luminous intensity but also high transparency, no deformation, and no crack, the suitable annealing temperature for synthesizing the screen of a Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanowire array in the AAO template was obtained.