Synthesis and characterization of YAG:Ce³⁺ fluorescence powders by co-precipitation method

YAG:Ce3+(Yttrium aluminum garnet) fluorescence powders were successfully prepared by co-precipitation method using aluminum nitrate,yttrium nitrate,cerous nitrate as the starting materials and ammonium carbonate as precipitant.The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction,luminescence spectrometer,transmission electron microscope(TEM).The XRD results showed that the obtained YAG:Ce3+ fluorescence powders had the crystalline structures of YAG at calcinations temperature of 900 oC and the TEM results showed that the grain diameters were about 100 nm.The YAG:Ce3+ fluorescence powders,synthesized by co-precipitation method,had the best luminescence property when the Ce doping amount was x=0.06 in the molecular formula of Y3-xCexAl5O12,the calcinations time was 2 h and the calcinations temperature was 1000 °C.     

Influence of ammonium sulfate on YAG nanopowders and Yb:YAG ceramics synthesized by a novel homogeneous co-precipitation method

Homogeneous and dispersed Y_3 Al_5 O_(12)(yttrium aluminum garnet,YAG) nanopowders were synthesized via a homogeneous co-precipitation method from the mixed solutions of yttrium nitrate,aluminum nitrate and a small amount of ammonium sulfate using hot urea as the precipitant.The method has the superiorities that co-precipitation of cations is ensured and continuous decomposition of the hot urea is achieved to obtain the narrow size distribution particles.The addition of small amount of ammonium sulfate surfactant,although has no influence on YAG garnet phase formation,has significant effect on dispersion,particles distribution and sinterability of the resultant YAG and Yb:YAG powders.Compared with the undoped sample,the green body of Yb:YAG doped with ammonium sulfate has higher total shrinkage,linear shrinkage rate and relative density through sintering at 1600 ℃.The resultant Yb:YAG powders can be sintered into transparent ceramics at 1700 ℃ through vacuum sintering.The influence of the sulfate ions on characteristics of the resultant powders was thoroughly studied.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of novel Ce3+-doped Yb3Al5–xGaxO12 garnets with very fast decay time

A novel series of Ce~(3+)-doped Yb_3 Al_(5-x)Ga_xO_(12)(x = 0, 1,2, 3,4, 5) powders of ytterbium aluminum gallium garnets were synthesized by high temperature solid-state reaction in a carbon reducing atmosphere. The ytterbium aluminum garnets were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra, photoluminescence spectra and decay curves. Moreover, the substitution effect for the Al~(3+) sites with Ga~(3+) in 0.5 at%Ce:Yb_3 Al_(5-x)Ga_xO_(12)(x = 0,1, 2, 3, 4, 5) garnets were discussed. With the increase of Ga~(3+) ion concentration, the visible absorption peaks within 400-450 nm have blue shift phenomenon,while the absorption peaks in the range of 330-350 nm and the absorption band edge red shifts.Furthermore, the short decay times are very short with less than 10 ns due to the Yb~(3+) + Ce~(3+)→ Yb~(2+) + Ce~(4+) electron transfer reaction.     

Synthesis and characterization of nano-sized YAG:Ce,Sm spherical phosphors

YAG:Ce,Sm spherical phosphors were synthesized by malic acid sol-gel method.The formation process of crystalline was characterized by X-ray diffraction(XRD)technique.The influence of Sm3+ doping on the luminescent intensity and the morphology of phosphors were studied by fluorescence spectrum and scanning electron microscopy(SEM)techniques,respectively.The results indicated that the size of spherical powders was about 100 nm calcined at 1200 ℃ for 3 h.The emission spectra of phosphors showed gradual red-shift from 525 to 540 nm with the increase of doping concentration of Sm3+ ion.A broadband emission spectrum of Ce3+ ion appeared at 540 nm,and a series of emission peaks corresponding to the 4G5/2→6HJ transition of Sm3+ ion also appeared at 617 nm with the doping of Sm3+.The red component of YAG:Ce phosphors increased with the doping of Sm3+.     

Preparation and characterization of Ce_(0.8)La_(0.2–x)Y_xO_(1.9) as electrolyte for solid oxide fuel cells

In this study, ultrafine Ce0.8La0.2–x Y x O1.9（for x=0, 0.05, 0.10, 0.15, 0.20） powders were successfully prepared by the sol-gel method.The samples were characterized by fourier transform infrared（FTIR）, thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetry（TG-DSC）, X-ray diffraction（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, AC impedance and thermal expansion measurements.Experimental results indicated that highly phase-pure cubic fluorite electrolyte Ce0.8La0.2–x Y x O1.9 powders were obtained after calcining at 600 °C.The as-synthesized powders exhibited high sintering activity, the Ce0.8La0.2–x Y x O1.9 series electrolytes which have higher relative densities over 96% could be obtained after sintered at 1400 °C for 4 h.Ce0.8La0.15Y0.05O1.9 electrolyte sintered at 1400 °C for 4 h exhibited higher oxide ionic conductivity（σ800 oC=0.057 S/cm）, lower electrical activation energy（E a=0.87 e V） and moderate thermal expansion coefficient（TEC=15.5×10-6 K-1, temperature range 25–800 °C）.     

Er and Gd Co-Doped Ceria-Based Electrolyte Materials for IT-SOFCs Prepared by the Cellulose-Templating Method

Ce_0.9?x Gd_0.1Er _x O_1.9?x/2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) (EGDC) powders were successfully synthesized with a fast and facile cellulose-templating method for the first time and characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The samples were calcined at a relatively low calcination temperature of 773 K (500 °C). The sintering behavior of the calcined EGDC powders was also investigated at 1673 K (1400 °C) for 6 hours. Calcined Ce_0.9?x Gd_0.1Er _x O_1.9?x/2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) powders and sintered Ce_0.9?x Gd_0.1Er _x O_1.9?x/2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.1) pellets crystallized in the cubic fluorite structure. It was found that the relative densities of the sintered EGDC pellets were over 95 pct for all the Er contents studied. Moreover, the effect of Er content on the ionic conductivity of the gadolinium-doped ceria (GDC, Ce_0.9Gd_0.1O_1.90) was investigated. The highest ionic conductivity value was found to be 3.57 × 10^?2 S cm^?1 at 1073 K (800 °C) for the sintered Ce_0.82Gd_0.1Er_0.08O_1.91 at 1673 K (1400 °C) for 6 hours.     

Promoting effect of tantalum and antimony additives on deNOx performance of Ce3Ta3SbOx for NH3-SCR reaction and DRIFT studies

A superior Ce-Ta-Sb composite oxide catalyst prepared using homogeneous precipitation method exhibited excellent deNOx efficiency and nearly 100% N_2 selectivity with broad operation temperature window and better resistance to higher space velocity, meanwhile strong resistance to H_2 O and SO_2. This catalyst was systematically characterized using XRD, N_2 adsorption, SEM, TEM, XPS, ESR, Raman, H_2-TPR,NH3-TPD and in situ DRIFTS. There exists a synergistic effect between Ce, Ta and Sb species. It is further indicated that the prominent deNOx performance of the Ce3 Ta3 SbOx catalyst is attributed to the elevated Ce3+ concentrations, abundant active surface oxygen species, as well as surface acidity and reducibility,which is closely linked with the synergistic effect between Ce, Sb and Ta species. Results from DRIFTS reveal that the reaction mechanism of surface-adsorbed NH3 and NO_x species is linked to temperature,the L-H mechanism mainly occurs at low temperature(300 ℃),while the E-R mechanism occurs at high temperature(300 ℃). Overall,these findings indicate that Ce3 Ta3 SbOx is promising for NO_x practical abatement.     

Phase relations,microstructure, and valence transition studies on CaZr_(1-x)Ce_xTi_2O_7(0.0≤x≤1.0) system

In this study, Ce-doped zirconolite was synthesized through high-temperature solid-state reaction at 1250 ℃ in air for 96 h. The crystal phase.microstructure and valence transition were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS).Phase relations of CaZr_(1-x)Ce_xTi_2O_7 systems were determined by XRD analyses and Rietveld refinements.Four different phases are identified, namely zirconolite, perovskite, pyrochlore, and cerianite. The phase transformation(2M-zirconolite → 4M-zirconolite → Ce-pyrochlore) is caused by cations rearrangement as cerium content increases. The solubility limit of cerium ions in CaZr_(1-x)Ce_xTi_2O_7 system is estimated to be approximately 0.80. Under sintering air atmosphere, partial reduction of Ce~(4+) in Ce~(3+) is detected in Ce 3d XPS spectra, and the ratio of Ce~(3+) and Ce~(4+) significantly decreases as cerium content increases.     

Dielectric and microstructural properties of YAG:Dy3+ ceramics

Yttrium aluminium garnet(Y_3 Al_5 O_(12):YAG) singly doped with Dy3+ at different concentrations was prepared by solid state reactions using repeated heating cycles over the temperature range of 1300-1600 ℃. X-ray powder diffraction analysis confirms the presence of a well-crystallized YAG perovskite phase with cubic structure(by Rietveld refinement). The rare earth dopant is successfully integrated into the YAG host lattice without any major changes in the original structure. The temperature dependence,up to 250 ℃, of the conductivity, dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and loss tangent, at various frequencies of up to 5.0 MHz for undoped and doped crystals is compared to understand the electrical and structural characteristics. The experimental results reveal that Dy3+ dopants in YAG crystal significantly influence the conductivity, dielectric constant, and lossy mechanisms, which is probably due to the 3 d-AI ions and 4 f-Dy ions incorporated at different positions of both tetrahedral and octahedral symmetries in YAG:xDy3+ ceramics.     

Preparation,structure, luminescence properties of europium doped zinc spinel structure green-emitting phosphor ZnAl2O4:Eu2+

The Zn_(1-x)Al_2 O_4:xEu~(2+) phosphor powders were synthesized by the solid-state reaction method.The synthesis temperature for ZnAl_2 O_4 was optimized,whereas the phase structure,TEM images,photoluminescence(PL) properties,the concentration quenching mechanism,the fluorescence decay curves,as well as the CIE chromaticity coordinates of the samples were investigated in details.Under the excitation at 379 nm,the phosphor exhibits an asymmetric broad-band green emission with a peak at 532 nm,which is ascribed to the 5 d-4 f transition of Eu2+.When the doping concentration of Eu2+ ions is 0.01,the luminescence intensity of the sample reaches the maximum value.It is further proved that the exchange interaction results in the concentration quenching of Eu2+ in the Zn_(1-x)Al_2 O_4:xEu~(2+) phosphor powders.The thermal quenching property of ZnAl_2 O_4:Eu~(2+)phosphor was investigated and the quantum efficiency(QE) values of the selected Zn_(0.99)Al_2 O_4:0.01 Eu~(2+) phosphor was measured and determined as 54.85%.The lifetime of the optimized sample Zn_(0.99)Al_2 O_4:0.01 Eu~(2+) is 3.0852 μs and the CIE coordinate of the sample was calculated as(0.3323,0.5538) with high-color-purity green emission.All properties indicate that the green-emitting ZnAl_2 O_4:Eu~(2+) phosphor powder has potential application in white LEDs.     

Tunable emission,energy transfer and thermal stability of Ce3+, Tb3+ co-doped Na2BaCa(PO4)2 phosphors

A series of single Ce³⁺ doped and Ce³⁺ and Tb³⁺ co-doped Na₂BaCa(PO₄)₂ (NBCP) phosphors was synthesized by conventional solid-stated reaction method. The crystal structure, luminescence properties, thermal stability and energy transfer were carefully investigated. Ce³⁺ is inferred to substitute the Ba²⁺ site in NBCP lattice. The color-tunable emission from blue to green is observed by adjusting Tb³⁺ concentration among NBCP:0.03Ce³⁺,yTb³⁺ phosphors. The energy transfer behavior from Ce³⁺ to Tb³⁺ ions is both illustrated by co-doped PL spectra and decay curves. The energy transfer efficiency is as high as 91.5%. The mechanism of energy transfer is resonance type of dipole-dipole transition. In this work, the optimal phosphor exhibits the excellent thermal stability which keeps at 94.9% of that initial value at room temperature when temperature reaches to 150 °C. The Ce³⁺ and Tb³⁺ co-doped NBCP phosphor is a promising candidate for the application in the general lighting and display fields.     

Preparation and Study on Spectrum Characteristics of Sr0.99 Ce0.01 HfO3 Nanopowders

The Sr_0.99Ce_0.01HfO₃ nanopowders were synthesized by the co-precipitation method. The calcination temperature and time of the powders were 1200 °C and 2 h, respectively. The powder size of Sr_0.99Ce_0.01HfO₃ nanopowders was 15 × 30 nm. There were two excitation bands in the excitation spectra of the Sr_0.99Ce_0.01HfO₃ nanopowders, which peaking at 216 and 309 nm, respectively. There were two emission bands in the emission spectra excited by the 220 nm light, which peaking at 398 and 467 nm. And they were corresponding to the 5d→²F_5/2 and the 5d→²F_7/2 transitions of Ce³⁺ ions. But there was only one emission band in the emission spectrum excited by the 309 nm light which peaking at 392 nm.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of Sr3-z（AlxSi1-x）O5-xFx：zCe^3＋phosphors

Sr3-z(Alx,Si1-x)O -5-xFx:zCe3+ phosphors were synthesized by high-temperature solid-state reaction.The structure and luminescence properties of phosphors with various Al/Si ratios and Ce3+ concentrations were characterized using various methods such as X-ray diffraction,photoluminescence excitation and photoluminescence spectra.XRD result displayed that a complete solid solution between Sr3AlO4F and Sr3SiO5 was formed.With the increasing of x value,a broader excitation band and stronger absorption appeared in the blue light region.Moreover,the emission band shifted to a shorter wavelength and the emission intensity reached a maximum at x=0.6.By adjusting the concentration of Ce3+,a widely tunable range of emission wavelength under the excitation of 460 nm was obtained from the green to yellow regions.In addition,the concentration and thermal quenching were also discussed.     

EXAFS study of cation reordering in NaYF4：Yb3＋,Tb3＋ up-conversion luminescence materials

The NaYF4：yb3＋,Tb3＋ （Xyb： 0.20, XTb： 0.04） materials were prepared using the co-precipitation method, lne as-preparea material was washed either with or without water in addition to ethanol and thereafter annealed for 5 h at 500℃. This resulted in materials with moderate or very high up-conversion luminescence intensity, respectively. The structural study carried out with X-ray powder diffraction revealed microstrains in the rare earth （R） sublattice that were relaxed for the material with very high up-conversion intensity thus decreasing energy losses. The local structural details were investigated with R LⅢ and Y K edge ex- tended X-ray absorption fine structure （EXAFS） using synchrotron radiation. Around 10 tool.% of the Yb3＋ ions were found to occupy the Na site in the material with very high up-conversion intensity. These Yb species formed clusters with the Tb3＋ ions occupying the regular Na/R sites. Such clustering enhanced the energy transfer between Yb3＋ and Tb3＋ thus intensifying the up-conversion emission.     

Fabrication and long persistent luminescence of Ce3+-Cr3+ co-doped yttrium aluminum gallium garnet transparent ceramics

Persistent luminescence (PersL) materials are widely used in safety indication, traffic and transportation signs, architectural decoration and other fields. In this paper, (Y_1?xCe_x)₃(Al_0.9995Cr_0.0005)₂Ga₃O₁₂ (x = 0.001, 0.002, 0.003, 0.005) transparent ceramics were successfully prepared by solid-state reaction method in air followed by HIP post-treatment. With the increase of Ce³⁺ doping concentration, the optical quality of the as-prepared ceramics is improved and the morphology is denser. Luminescent quenching occurs when the Ce³⁺ concentration is more than 0.2%. The as-prepared transparent ceramics were annealed in different atmospheres. From the PersL decay curves, the transparent ceramics after air annealing show the best PersL performance: luminance with 4424.0 mcd/m² and PersL duration over 865 min after ceasing 365 nm excitation, respectively. The effects of Ce³⁺ doping concentration and annealing atmospheres are also discussed in detail.     

Promotional mechanism of activity of CeEuMnOx ternary oxide for low temperature SCR of NOx

Due to strong synergistic effect of the elements,a series of XEuMnO_x ternary oxides(X=Ce,Ni,Co,Sb,Sn,Mo) were synthesized by one-pot co-precipitation method,and composite components were identified and optimized to maintain high activity and superior SO₂ and H₂O endurance in selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with NH₃(NH₃-SCR).NO_x conversion of CeEuMnO_x ternary oxide catalysts attains more than 90% at 100-2...     

A highly sensitive luminescent metal–organic framework thermometer for physiological temperature sensing

Thermal sensing and imaging in the physiological temperature range are of great importance for studying physiological processes and treating diseases. Metal-organic frameworks(MOFs) exhibit great promise for developing luminescent thermometers due to their remarkable structural diversities and tunable luminescence properties. Here, we synthesized a series of luminescent mixed-lanthanide MOFs,Eu_xTb_(1-x)BPT(x = 0.019, 0.058, 0.106; H3 BPT = biphenyl-3,4',5-tricarboxylate acid) and adopted powder X-ray diffraction(PXRD), thermogravimetric analysis(TGA) and Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) to characterize the resulting products. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence emission spectra were recorded to investigate their potential applications in physiological temperature readout. It is found that the intensity ratio of Tb~(3+) to Eu~(3+) is linearly correlated with temperature and the relative sensitivity is higher than 1.5%/℃ over the entire physiological temperature range. Furthermore,the temperaturedependent luminescence color emission allows for visual colorimetric temperature measurements.Luminescence lifetime testing and triplet energy level measurement were further conducted to study the mechanism.     

Selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3 over core-shell Ce@W catalyst

An environmentally benign WO₃ wrapped cubic CeO₂ core–shell catalyst (Ce@W) was developed for the selective catalytic reduction of NO_x with NH₃. Compared with CeW particles prepared via the conventional co-precipitation method, this core–shell catalyst not only displays higher tolerance to SO₂ and H₂O, but also exhibits a wider activity temperature window of 250–450 °C, in which NO_x conversion and N₂ selectivity reaches 100%. The improved performance of Ce@W catalysts can be contributed to the strong interactions between CeO₂ (100) and WO₃, which generates more Ce³⁺ and surface chemisorbed oxygen. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTs) reveal that the more thermally stable Brønsted acid sites on Ce@W lead to its excellent high-temperature activity.     

Color-tunable Ca10Na(PO4)7:Ce3+/Tb3+/Mn2+ phosphor via energy transfer

A series of Ca_(10)Na(PO_4)_7:Ce~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Mn~(2+)(CNPO:Ce~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Mn~(2+)) phosphors with high brightness were synthesized by high-temperature solid-state method. X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), diffuse reflectance spectra(DRS), photo luminescence(PL) spectra, luminescence decay curves and thermally stability were performed to characterize the as-prepared samples. For Ce~(3+)-doped samples, an intense and broad band emission is present under 265 nm excitation. When Ce~(3+) and Tb~(3+)are codoped, energy transfer(ET) process from Ce3+ to Tb3+ is demonstrated with electric dipole-dipole interaction. The internal and external quantum efficiencies(QEs) of CNPO:0.15 Ce~(3+), 0.04 Tb~(3+), 0.005 Mn~(2+)are measured to 76.79% and 54.11% under 265 nm excitation and temperature-dependent PL intensity can remain 51.78% at 150 ℃ of its initial intensity at 25 ℃. It is indicated that single-phased white lightemitting CNPO:Ce~(3+)/Tb~(3+)/Mn~(2+) phosphor can serve as a promising phosphor for illumination devices.     

Blue-emitting Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2O_4:Ce~(3+) phosphors for high CRI white LEDs

A broadband blue-emitting Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+)(x=0-0.2) phospho rs were synthesized,which can be used for near-UV pumped white light-emitting diodes(w-LEDs).The crystal structures,photoluminescence pro perties,external quantum efficiency,the rmal stability and application perfo rmance of Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+),by partially substituting Sr~(2+) with Ca~(2+)(x=0-0.2),were studied by various analytical techniques.When the Ca/Sr ratio of Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+) gradually increases,the emission peak of Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+) red-shiftes from 459 to 465 nm,corrected external quantum efficiency increases from 31.8% to 42.9%,and the thermal stability is also improved.The mechanism of the changes of the photoluminescence emission and excitation spectra,external quantum efficiency and thermal stability properties was also investigated in detail.In addition,a w-LED was fabricated by using SrLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+)(blue),β-sialon:Eu~(2+)(green) and(Sr,Ca)AlSiN_3:Eu~(2+)(red) phosphors combined with a 405 nm near-UV LED chip,and its color rendering index(CRI) reaches 96.0.When Sr_(0.8)Ca_(0.2)Lu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+)is applied as blue phosphor to substitute SrLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+),the obtained w-LED devices have high luminous efficiency,and CRI greater than 95.0.These re sults show that the Sr_(1-x)Ca_xLu_2 O_4:Ce~(3+) can be potential blue phosphors for n-UV pumped high CRI w-LEDs application.