Luminescence Properties of Sol–Gel Derived Ceramic GdNbхTa1 –хO4 and YNbхTa1 –хO4 Solid Solutions

Abstract

GdNbхTa1 –хO4 and YNbхTa1 –хO4 (x = 0–1) ceramic samples have been prepared by a sol–gel process, and the luminescence properties of the solid solutions have been studied under UV excitation. The results demonstrate that even a relatively small amount of tantalum (x = 0.9) in GdNbхTa1 –хO4 leads to a sharp increase in the luminescence intensity related to Nb4+–O– centers, which exceeds the luminescence intensity in the GdNbO4 and GdTaO4 individual compounds by a factor of 3–6.5. The luminescence signal in the YNbхTa1 –хO4 solid solutions exceeds that in the YNbO4 and YTaO4 end-members at any Nb : Ta ratio, owing to energy transfer between Nb4+–O– and Ta4+–O– emission centers.