Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowders were prepared via chemical precipitation method in order to modify the band gap and increase the luminescent intensity. The structures and optical properties of the as-synthesized samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction （XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） and photoluminescence （PL）. The effects of Y and Cd ions on the optical properties of the samples were studied. Doping of Y into ZnO evidently increases the intensity of UV emission, or co-doping of Y and Cd enhances the UV emission, narrows the band gap of ZnO and hence red shifts the UV emission at the same time. Therefore, Y and Cd co-doped ZnO nanopowders exhibit an intense violet emission in the room temperature PL spectrum, which could be a potential candidate material for optoelectronic applications.
