Combustion synthesis and photoluminescence properties of LaAlO3 nanophosphors doped with Yb 3 þ ions

abstract Ytterbium doped lanthanum aluminate (LaAlO 3 ) nanophosphors have been prepared by a combustionprocess with glycine as a fuel. The structures of the powders were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD),the morphology of the annealed materials was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), theaverage crystalline grain sizes have been determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) andphotoluminescence properties using fluorescence spectroscopy. Pure LaAlO 3 phase was obtained at800 1C heated for 4 h, with an average crystal size, as determined by TEM, of 60 nm. Emission spectraand decay times of main luminescence transitions were measured at room temperature. A strongemission is reported at 986 nm from the ( 2 F 5=2 - 2 F 7=2 ) transition, whose intensity depends on Ybconcentration.& 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. IntroductionIn recent years, LaAlO 3 doped with rare earth ions arepromising materials for color light emission[1–4].Forinstance,LaAlO 3 doped with Yb