Author(s)

Alfredo Morales Hernández^1,2*, Mayra A. de León Alfaro², Antonio Barrera Villatoro^1,2, Ciro Falcony³, Teodoro Rivera Montalvo², Juan Zarate Medina¹

¹Instituto de Investigaciones en Metalurgia y Materiales, Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, México.
²Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro de Investigación en Ciencia Aplicada y Tecnología Avanzada, Ciudad de México, México.
³Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México, México.

The aim of the present work was to investigate the luminescent properties of europium-doped lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO₃) powder prepared by Modified Pechini (MP) method. Samples were prepared at different Eu³⁺ concentrations and calcined at 1600°C. Structural and morphology characterizations were obtained by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Luminescent properties were analyzed by photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescent phenomena. The XRD pattern shows pure lanthanum aluminate oxide LaAlO3 with a rhombohedral structure. Photoluminescence studies of the powders was related to 4f → 4f(⁵D₀ → ⁷F_i) (i = 1, 2, 3, 4) transitions of Eu³⁺ ion, the most intense emission of Eu³⁺ in LaAlO₃ was registered for the transition ⁵D₀ → ⁷F₁, for 5% of Eu³⁺. The recorded TL glow curves of excited samples showed a main TL peak, the main peak appeared its maximum as a function of excitation energy. The investigation demonstrates that polycrystalline LaAlO₃:Eu³⁺ powders calcined at 1600°C have interesting luminescent characteristics.

Modified Pechini Method, LaAlO₃:Eu³⁺, Photoluminescence, Thermoluminescence

Hernández, A. , de León Alfaro, M. , Villatoro, A. , Falcony, C. , Montalvo, T. and Medina, J. (2017) Luminescence Characteristics of LaAlO₃:Eu³⁺ Obtained by Modified Pechini’s Method. Open Journal of Synthesis Theory and Applications, 6, 1-12. doi: 10.4236/ojsta.2017.61001.