Novel nano-dimensional cubic-spherical morphology for (Y₂O₃)_0.5-(MgO)_0.5 nanocomposite: Synthesis and optical properties

New cubic-spherical morphology was obtained for (Y₂O₃)_0.5-(MgO)_0.5 nanocomposite by the polymeric complex method. In this method, magnesium acetate, yttrium nitrate and C₁₀H₁₆N₂O₈ (EDTA) were used as a source of Mg²⁺, Y³⁺ and both template and chelate agent, respectively. Results show that with increasing pH value from 2 to 8, the morphology of the sample was changed from irregular to the mixture of cubic and spherical particles. Furthermore, according to the PL results, the nanopowder had the strong emission peak centered at 348 nm and 450 nm, corresponding to the electronic transition of T1u1→A1g2 and B1u3→Ag1, respectively. The narrow blue, orange, and red bands are also located in the 450 nm, 580 nm and 690 nm spectral ranges.