Luminescence properties of Pr³⁺ doped 12CaO.7Al₂O₃ ceramics

Abstract

Pr³⁺ doped 12CaO.7Al₂O₃ ceramics (C12A7∶Pr³⁺) were prepared by a solid state reaction method. The obtained samples were characterised using X-ray diffraction and SEM methods, and the luminescence properties were investigated by means of excitation and emission spectra. The prepared C12A7∶Pr³⁺ ceramic samples with cubic crystal structure were confirmed, and the lattice parameter a increased slightly with the Pr³⁺ added. The photoluminescence of C12A7∶Pr³⁺ at room temperature was observed in the visible region using 488 nm wavelength as excitation source. The intense emission bands with multipeaks around 529, 615 and 735 nm corresponded to the transition ³P₀→³H₅, ³P₀→³H₆ and ³P₀→³F₄ respectively. Moreover, photoluminescence spectra indicated that the luminescence intensity first increased and then declined with increasing Pr³⁺ content. The sample with 0·2 mol.-%Pr³⁺ doped exhibited the maximum luminescence intensity at 529 and 615 nm.

Keywords:

• 12CaO.7Al₂O₃ ceramics
• Pr³⁺ doped
• Luminescence properties
• Solid state reaction

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51072106), research projects of Science and Technology Division, Shaanxi (project no. 2010K10-14), Foundation of Shaanxi Educational Committee (grant no. 112H011) and the Graduate Innovation Fund of Shaanxi University of Science and Technology.