Enhanced luminescent properties of solution combustion synthesized nanocrystalline Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Eu³⁺ phosphors

Nanocrystalline Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ phosphors with particle size about 20-40 nm have been synthesized by a facile solution combustion method. XRD and TEM studies show that Y3Al5O12 nanocrystals can directly form at a low temperature of 825 °C and highly crystalline at 850 °C. With the increase of annealing temperature, the charge transfer band shows a blue shift due to the dielectric confinement effect. The color purity of Y3Al5O12:Eu3+ phosphors can be improved by decreasing the grain size of nanocrystals. Furthermore, the high concentration doping of Eu3+ can be realized in Y3Al5O12 nanocrystals, which will enhance the luminescent intensity. This work demonstrated that solution combustion is a feasible method to synthesize europium rare earth doped Y3Al5O12 nanocrystals with enhanced optical properties.