Y2O3 is a very remarkable material, that made it big for two reasons: (i) it is used in the cathode ray tube screens in televisions, and (ii) it was used to make the mostimportant superconductor of the 1980s. When used as a TV screen phosphor, Eu is added to (i.e "doped into") Y2O3.

In this work, we grew tiny rods of Y(OH)3: Ni2+ and tiny particles (nanoparticles) of Y2O3:Ni2+ phosphors. When heated Y(OH)3 rods readily decomposes to yield Y2O3 particles that are all stuck to each other. Using a technique called "electron paramagnetic resonance" we showed that the Ni dopant has 6 neighboring atoms, which aids in efficient blue emission.

Further more, we subjected these novel optical materials to gamma radiation (the kind that caused the birth of "Hulk"!). Typically the impact of radiation is studied by heating the radiated material. At 195 and 230 degree C, the irradiated material glows. The nature of the glow was used to extract the physics of the defects in the irradiated Y2O3. The physical parameters associated with the radiation-induced defects are activation energy (E), frequency factor (s) and order of kinetics (b). Finally we found that the material is quite stable against irradiation, and hence suitable for measuring radiation in a nuclear environment (using a technique called radiation dosimetry).

Ref: Journal of Luminescence (2014)