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Abstract
Nanocrystalline Eu3+, Tb3+ co-doped Lu2O3 powders with a maximum size of 25.5 nm were prepared by the sol-gel process, using lutetium, europium and terbium nitrates as precursors, and ethanol as a solvent. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and infrared spectroscopy (IR) were used to study the chemical changes during the xerogel annealing. After the sol evaporation at 100 °C, the formed gel was annealed from 300 to 900 °C for 30 min under a rich O2 atmosphere, and the yielded product was analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to characterize the microstructural behavior and confirm the crystalline structure. The results showed that Lu2O3 nanopowders start to crystallize at 400 °C and that the crystallite size increases along with the annealing temperature. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) study of samples annealed at 700 and 900 °C was carried out in order to analyze the microstructure, as well as the size, of crystallites. Finally, in regard to scintillating properties, Eu3+ dopant (5 mol%), Tb3+ codoped Lu2O3 exhibited a typical red emission at 611 nm (D°→7F2), furthermore, the effect of Tb3+ molar content (0.01, 0.015 and 0.02% mol) on the Eu3+ radioluminiscence was analyzed and it was found that the higher emission intensity corresponds to the lower Tb3+ content.
Highlights
Since Lu2O3:Eu3+ first attracted attention as a potential X-ray phosphor [1], many efforts have been conducted in the last few decades to process it, due to a growing need for new materials to be employed in high-resolution X-ray imaging systems, including high-definition X-ray radiographers, positron emission tomography (PET) scanners as well as many others industrial measuring systems [2,3,4,5]
The first event can be attributed to the release of water of hydration and OH, and the second one to the decomposition of the organic matter, this event suggest the formation of lutetium hydrated species or even carbonate species to form precipitates with Lu3+ ions [48]
Lu2O3:Eu3+, Tb3+ nanopowders have been prepared by a simple sol-gel method, using lutetium, europium and terbium nitrate as precursors, and DEG as a polymerization agent
Summary
Since Lu2O3:Eu3+ first attracted attention as a potential X-ray phosphor [1], many efforts have been conducted in the last few decades to process it, due to a growing need for new materials to be employed in high-resolution X-ray imaging systems, including high-definition X-ray radiographers, positron emission tomography (PET) scanners as well as many others industrial measuring systems [2,3,4,5]. CsI:Tl scintillators in digital imaging, since, along with their stated properties, they present a reddish emission wavelength (~611 nm) that matches the spectral sensitivity of CCD detectors [11,12], and, CsI:Tl suffer from radiation damage at high doses, probably due to its low density (4.51 gcm−3) and is slightly hygroscopic [13,14]. Another common material, the bismuth orthogermanate (BGO), presents a low density (7.13 gcm−3) and emits less than 10 photons/keV [15], compared to 30 photons /keV for Lu2O3:Eu3+ [16]. The well known Gd2O2S:Tb3+ (GOS), tends to be replaced in scintillating devices due to its chemical instability and sensitivity to moisture [17,18]
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