Effect of annealing temperature on the structure of a ternary aluminate phosphor synthesized via co-precipitation

Nano-phosphors play a vital role in display and bio-medical fields owing to their excellent luminescent characteristics. The present work reports the synthesis of a ternary aluminate phosphor matrix via the rather economical co-precipitation technique. The as-prepared phosphor materials were further annealed in a high temperature furnace between 300 – 750 °C. The work focuses on the effect of post annealing temperature on the structural response of the samples. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the phase formation of ZnAl2O4. Thermogravimetric as well as FTIR analysis were done. Diffuse reflectance spectral (DRS) analysis was used to determine the bandgap of the samples. The as prepared Eu doped sample showed luminescence in the red region, while undoped sample luminesce in the blue region of the visible spectrum.