Eu (II) Incorporation in Calcite: Phase Transformation and Photoluminescence

Abstract:

Calcite is a widely available biocompatible material and produced naturally by marine seashells. It can function as a host of bioimaging fluorophores or photoluminescent lanthanides. Eu (II) was incorporated into calcite, a polymorph of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), through co-precipitation to explore the photoluminescence (PL) of Eu-doped calcium carbonate. Eu (II) was incorporated at different mass percentages from 0.625 to 20% at temperatures not exceeding the decomposition of both CaCO₃ and europium carbonate (EuCO₃). The temperature and transformation of Eu were tracked and showed that at a curing temperature of 400°C, for 20% Eu, Eu (II) ions were initially incorporated into the calcium positions in calcite. As the temperature increased to 450°C, the oxidation of Eu (II) and formation of europium sesquioxide (Eu₂O₃), was observed. The reaction was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and mass spectrometry (MS). Eu³⁺, with a smaller crystal radius, was preferentially incorporated into the calcite instead of the larger Eu²⁺ due to the reduction in the lattice parameters and crystal volume. PL results on the samples further showed red luminescence of Eu³⁺ at excitation and emission peaks of 390 and 619 nm, respectively instead of the blue luminescence of Eu²⁺.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 1194)
• Pages: 123-132
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-LXV4Uz
• Online since: June 2026
• Authors: Jonathan B. Junio*, Marlon T. Conato, Candy C. Mercado, Arnold M. Guloy
• Keywords: Calcite, Co-Precipitation, Photoluminescence, Thermal Studies

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