Far-infrared spectra of dysprosium doped yttrium aluminum garnet nanopowder

•YAG:Dy nanopowder was produced by Solution Combustion Synthesis (SCS) method.•Powders are composed by well-defined and separated nanoparticles.•Some particles are agglomerated but there are also separated particles.•The dielectric function was modeled by the Maxwell–Garnet formula.•Optical phonon confinement is registered.

The solution combustion synthesis was used to prepare nanopowders of yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) and YAG doped with dysprosium ions, Dy3+, (YAG:Dy). The morphology, specific surface area, texture, and optical properties of the prepared materials were studied by the means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption method, and far-infrared spectroscopy at room temperature in the spectral region between 80 and 600 cm−1. It was established that all the examined samples were microporous. The Maxwell–Garnet formula was used to model dielectric function of YAG and YAG:Dy nanopowders as mixtures of homogenous spherical inclusions in air.

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