Uniform Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanowire arrays were successfully prepared by the sol-gel process using anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) templates. The as-synthesized nanowires are homogeneous, highly ordered, and dense and have a uniform diameter of ~300 nm defined by the AAO templates. The X-ray diffraction and selected area electron diffraction results show that the Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanowires have a polycrystalline cubic structure, and the crystallite size of the Lu2O3:Eu3+ nanowires is confined by the AAO template. The nanowires within the AAO template showed good photoluminescence and X-ray-excited optical luminescence performances for Lu2O3:Eu3+. The emission peaks were attributed to the 5D0 → 7FJ transitions of Eu3+ (J = 0, 1, 2, 3).
X-ray excited optical luminescence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons