Eu-Doped Pyrochlore Crystal Nano-Powders as Fluorescent Solid for Fingerprint Visualization and for Anti-Counterfeiting Applications

Undoped Y(2)Sn(2)O(7) and Eu(3+) doped Y(2)Sn(2)O(7) samples with doping concentrations 7%, 8%, 9%, and 10% are successfully synthesized by the co-precipitation method. A complete structural, morphological, and spectroscopic characterization is carried out. XRD measurements reveal that samples crystallize in the pure single pyrochlore phase and Eu(3+) ions occupy sites with D(3d) symmetry. After mechanical grinding, the average crystallite size is less than 100 nm for all compositions. Optical characterization shows emission from the (5)D(0) level towards the lower lying (7)F(0,1,2,3,4) levels. The CIE color coordinates of all the pyrochlore phosphors are very close to those of the ideal red light. For the visualization of latent fingerprints, different surfaces are tested, including difficult ones (wood and ceramic), with excellent results. All three levels of fingerprint ridge patterns are visualized: core (Level 1), bifurcation and termination (Level 2), and sweat pores (Level 3). Moreover, our nano-powders are used to prepare a stable fluorescent ink.