title: Time-resolved fluorescence line-narrowing of Eu3+ in biocompatible eutectic glass-ceramics.
abstract: The spectroscopic properties of Eu(3+) in biocompatible glass and glass-ceramic eutectic rods of composition 0.8CaSiO(3)-0.2Ca(3)(PO(4))(2) doped with 0.5 wt% of Eu(2)O(3) are investigated to explore their potential applications as optical probes. The samples were obtained by the laser floating zone technique. Depending on the growth rate, they exhibit three (two crystalline and one amorphous) or two (one crystalline and one amorphous) phases. The crystalline phases correspond to Ca(2)SiO(4) and apatite-like structures. At high growth rates the system presents an amorphous arrangement which gives a glass phase. The results of time-resolved fluorescence line narrowing spectroscopy obtained under excitation within the inhomogeneous broadened (7)F(0)→(5)D(0) absorption band allow to isolate the emission from Eu(3+) ions in the crystalline and amorphous environments and to accurately correlate the spectroscopic properties with the microstructure of these eutectics.
authors.affiliation: Materials Physics Center CSIC-UPV/EHU and Donostia International Physics Center, 20080 San Sebastián, Spain.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sola
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Saleh
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Peña
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry; D002516:Ceramics / Q000737:chemistry*; D005063:Europium / Q000737:chemistry*; D049449:Luminescence; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence; D013696:Temperature; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D005063:Europium; C023506:Glass ceramics; C018392:tricalcium phosphate