| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1643713 | Materials Letters | 2014 | 4 Pages |
•Hydroxides of aluminum were firstly used as gelling agent to prepare LuAG: Ce3+ phosphors.•Both nano and micron scale products can be obtained and they are suitable for the fabrication of laser scintillators and white light emitting diodes, respectively.•Dispersion and crystallinity can be improved by using the two-step process.
Ce3+-doped lutetium aluminum garnet (LuAG) phosphors have been successfully synthesized by a facile carbon-free sol–gel method without using any organic gelling agent. Phase transitions from gel to LuAG were well investigated by X-ray diffraction and thermal analysis. The results confirmed that a pure LuAG phase can form at around 920 °C by directly crystallizing from amorphous material. Particle size of the LuAG phosphor can be controlled by adjusting the heat treatment process; therefore, both nano and micron-scale products can be obtained and they are suitable for the fabrication of laser scintillators and white light emitting diodes, respectively. Agglomeration can be observed in the nano-sized phosphor. For the micron-sized LuAG, a two-step process was used to avoid hard agglomeration. Particles of the obtained micron-sized phosphor are uniform and well-dispersed. Luminescence properties of the phosphors were characterized. Relative intensity of the micron-sized product is comparable with commercial phosphor.
