Mechanochemical synthesis and thermal stability of phases in the Y 2 O 3 –Yb 2 O 3 system

Substitutional, continuous solid solution of the general formula Y2–xYbxO3 was obtained from the mixture of Y2O3 and Yb2O3 oxides, for the first time by the mechanochemical method in a high-energy ball milling. The monophasic samples of nanocrystalline solid solution for x > 0.00 and x < 2.00 were examined by the methods: XRD, DTA, SEM, IR and UV–Vis–DR. As follows from the results, the solid solution crystallizes in cubic system and is isostructural with Y2O3 and Yb2O3. The solution is stable in the air atmosphere up to at least 900°C, and its decomposition temperature decreases with the increase in x, that is, with decreasing number of Yb3+ ions replacing Y3+ ions in the crystal lattice of Y2O3. The energy band gap estimated for the solid solution varies from ~ 5.30 eV for x = 0.50 to ~ 4.90 eV for x = 1.50, which means that it is an insulator.