Crystal Structure and Optical Properties of Lu3Al5O12:Ce3+ Obtained by a Colloidal Chemical Synthesis Method

We have used a colloidal chemical method to synthesize ultradisperse powders of lutetium aluminum garnet activated by Ce 3+ ions. We used optical spectroscopy, x-ray and neutron diffraction to study their spectral luminescence and structural properties as a function of the activator concentration and the heat treatment conditions for the precursor. We have observed a change in a number of structural parameters of these powders, due to the particular details of their synthesis, which leads to distortion of the crystallographic environment of the Ce 3+ ions and a change in the intensity of their luminescence. We show that among the studied powders, the highest integrated luminescence intensity is observed for an activator concentration of 1.0 at.%, and its maximum is achieved with heat treatment in the range 1200–1300°C.