Photoluminescence properties of YAG:Ce³⁺,Pr³⁺ nano-sized phosphors synthesized by a modified co-precipitation method

Monophasic Ce³⁺ and Pr³⁺ co-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG:Ce³⁺,Pr³⁺) nanoparticles with good dispersity and uniform grain sizes in the range of 50–80 nm were prepared by a two-step route, which consisted of a modified co-precipitation preparation of mixed metal hydroxide hydrate intermediates at low temperature of about 40 °C and a subsequent calcination conversion of the synthesized intermediates to crystalline nanoparticle products at about 1000 °C. The influences of both the lanthanide ion (Ce³⁺ and Pr³⁺) doping concentration and different doping (Ce³⁺/Pr³⁺) ratio on the photoluminescence intensity were systematically investigated. The synthesized (Ce_0.6Pr_0.4)_0.04Y_2.96Al₅O₁₂ nanoparticles were near spherical nanoclusters with good dispersity and uniform sizes in the range of 50–80 nm for about 85% of the particles. The strongest photoluminescence intensity was observed for the (Ce_0.6Pr_0.4)_0.04Y_2.96Al₅O₁₂ nanoparticle products.