Combustion synthesis of Eu2+-activated BaMgAl10O17 phosphor

The combustion synthesis of a Eu²⁺-doped BaMgAl₁₀O₁₇ phosphor was performed using urea and carbohydrazide (CH) as combustion fuel. The concentration of activator ion was fixed at 10 mol %, namely Ba_0.9Eu_0.1MgAl₁₀O₁₇. Powders with an excellent degree of crystallinity were obtained within a few minutes at 500 °C when urea was used as the fuel and at 400 °C for the case of CH. This as-synthesized phosphor obtained from using CH exhibited a larger surface area, a rougher surface and a higher PL brightness than that using urea. Particle characteristics and luminescent properties varied with the type of fuel and the amount of added NH₄NO₃ addition. However, the combustion reaction led to severe agglomeration of the particles, causing an irregular shape and a broad distribution of particle size regardless of the fuel used. Post-treatment such as ball milling and annealing was found to be beneficial to improving the crystallinity and morphology of the synthesized powder, but at the loss of PL brightness.