The luminescence properties of γ-Al2O3:C produced by precursor method

White-emitting luminescent γ-Al2O3:C have been synthesized by the precursor method using the basic aluminum formate Al(OH)(HCOO)2 as a precursor. The synthesis of Al(OH)(HCOO)2 was implemented according to the original technique based on the interaction of Al(NO3)3·9H2O and formic acid in aqueous medium during heating. The X-ray powder diffraction study showed that Al(OH)(HCOO)2 crystallizes in monoclinic symmetry with space group C2 and unit cell parameters a = 8.8629(2) Å, b = 9.9890(2) Å, c = 10.2413(1) Å, β = 106.223(1)°, and V = 870.58(3) Å. It was established that the products of thermolysis of Al(OH)(HCOO)2 in helium atmosphere at 600–1100 °C exhibit white luminescence, whose intensity lowers when the precursor annealing temperature grows and the concentration of carbon decreases. The electronic band structure and the energy of preference of different positions in the lattice of ideal γ-Al2O3 to be occupied by impurity atoms were calculated by first-principles method. The calculations showed that the luminescence is due to the presence of carbon atoms in the interstitial sites of spinel structure. [Display omitted] •White-emitting luminescent γ-Al2O3:C was synthesized using precursor Al(OH)(HCOO)2.•Carbon is responsible for the luminescence properties in γ-Al2O3.•Carbon occupies the interstitial positions in the spinel structure.