Abstract:
Mg1.5Al2O4.5:x% Eu3þ (0 x 2) nanopowders were successfully synthesized via sol–gel method. The X-ray diffraction
(XRD) spectrum revealed that the Mg1.5Al2O4.5:x% Eu3þ matches the single phase of face-centred cubic MgAl2O4. The
estimated average crystallite sizes calculated using the XRD spectra were found to be in the order of 4 nm. The estimated
crystal size was confirmed by the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy
confirmed the presence of all expected elementary composition (Mg, Al, O and Eu). The field emission gun
scanning electron microscope showed that varying the Eu3þ concentration influence the morphology of the prepared
nanophosphor. The photoluminescence results showed that the host emits the violet colour at around 382 nm, which was
attributed to the defects within the band gap (Eg) of host material. The Eu3þ-doped samples showed the emission at
around 560, 580, 593, 618, 655 and 704 nm which are, respectively, attributed to the 5D1 ! 7F3, 5D0 ! 7F0, 5D0 ! 7F1,
5D0 ! 7F2, 5D0 ! 7F3 and 5D0 ! 7F4 characteristic transitions in Eu3þ. The International Commission on Illumination
colour chromaticity showed that the Eu3þ doping influences the emission colour.
