Manufacture of luminescent ceramics by vacuum sintering of nanopowder oxides

•Luminescent Al2O3 and MgO ceramics were obtained via sintering in vacuum.•During sintering the structure and luminescence of the ceramics change.•The ceramics doped during sintering have a wide emission spectrum.•The ceramics synthesized in vacuum can be used in TL dosimetry.

A method of nanopowder sintering in vacuum with the presence of carbon was used to manufacture oxygen-deficient Al2O3 and MgO luminescent ceramics. They were sintered at varying temperatures and annealing time. It was shown that during sintering in vacuum, the phase composition, microstructure and luminescent properties of the ceramics change. In the obtained ceramics, the spectra of pulse cathodoluminescence and photoluminescence as well as thermoluminescence glow curve are registered. The luminescence intensity grows with increasing temperature and sintering time. The photoluminescence spectrum significantly changes in the ceramics doped with chromium during sintering. The oxygen-deficient ceramics synthesized in vacuum are promising for applications in optical electronics and solid state dosimetry of ionizing radiations.