Structural investigations of sol–gel-derived LiYF4 and LiGdF4 powders

A soft synthesis route based on the sol–gel process was used for preparing rare-earth tetrafluoride powders from alkoxide precursors. In-situ fluorination was performed by decomposition of a fluorine containing organic compound named 1,1,1-trifluoro-5-methyl-2,4-hexanedione when sintering the as-prepared xerogel to produce crystallized samples. Both to insure complete departure of organic residues as well as to avoid any oxidation into oxyfluoride, annealing treatment was carried out under fluorine atmosphere. Free-oxygen content of resulting samples was evidenced by infrared and Raman spectroscopies. X-ray absorption spectroscopies (XAS) and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies showed that samples heat treated at 300 °C are already crystallized but for a full crystallization in LiGdF4 and LiYF4 a thermal treatment at 550 °C is needed. Temperature dependence of powder morphology was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Graphical abstractThe sol–gel route is a soft process, which allows developing versatile-shaped compounds. A fluorine organic compound named 1,1,1-trifluoro-5-methyl-2,4-hexadione was used to synthesis LiGdF4 and LiYF4 powders based on the sol–gel method. These materials can be used as host lattices for rare-earth ions to provide phosphors.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide