A novel synthesis of phase-pure ultrafine YAG:Tb phosphor with different Tb concentration

Abstract

Ultrafine luminescent yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Tb powders doped with different Tb concentration are prepared by a nitrate–citrate sol–gel combustion process. Single-phase cubic YAG:Tb crystalline is obtained at 800 °C by directly crystallizing from amorphous materials as determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The resultant YAG:Tb powders heat-treated at 1000 °C are uniform and in good dispersity with particle size of about 100 nm. The photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of Tb 3+ substituted for Y 3+ in YAG with different contents has been measured on samples calcined at 1000 °C.