Cerium-ion-doped yttrium aluminum garnet nanophosphors prepared through sol-gel pyrolysis for luminescent lighting

Luminescent Y3Al5O12: Ce3+ [yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG):Ce3+] nanoceramics (5-50 nm) have been prepared through a facile sol-gel pyrolysis route. A blueshift of about 720 cm-1 in the reflectance spectra near the absorption edge can be observed for YAG:Ce3+ nanoparticles (having an average particle size around 5 nm) with respect to the submicron powders (similar to0.9 mum). Furthermore, the scope of application for this important luminescent system can be extended by isostructural substitution with heavier cations such as Ba2+. This substitution giving rise to an oxygen-vacancy defect complex, that exhibits certain size-sensitive exciton-impurity energy-transfer property in YAG:Ce3+ nanoparticles. (C) 2002 American Institute of Physics.