The effect of Tb3+ doping on the structure and spectroscopic properties of MgAl2O4 nanopowders

In this paper, a modified sol–gel method was employed to prepare nanostructured MgAl2O4 spinel powders doped with Tb3+ ions and thermally treated at 700 and 1000 °C for 3 h. The structural properties of the prepared at 700 and 1000 °C powders where characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). According to obtained XRD patterns the formation of single-phase spinels after calcination was confirmed. The XRD analyses demonstrated that the powders were single-phase spinel nanopowders with high crystallite dispersion. The Rietveld method was applied to calculate lattice parameters. The averaged spinel particle size was determined to be ∼10 nm for calcination at 700 °C and ∼20 nm at 1000 °C. The emission and excitation spectra measured at room and low temperature (77 K) for the samples calcined at 700 and 1000 °C demonstrated characteristic spectra of Tb3+ ions. The effect of MgAl2O4:Tb3+ grain sizes on luminescence properties was noticed.

► Sol-gel Pechini method was successfully applied to obtain nanocrystalline MgAl2O4:Tb3+ phosphors.
► Prepared spinel structures were confirmed by X-Ray diffraction and Rietveld analysis.
► Unusual spectroscopic properties appeared in excitation spectra and luminescence decays were described.
► Effect of the nanocrystal’s sizes on the luminescence properties MgAl2O4:Tb3+ crystallites were investigated.