X-ray luminescence of BaF2:Ce3+ powders
Abstract
We studied the mechanism for the formation of cerium-activated barium fluoride scintillation ceramics and especially X-ray luminescence of its powdered precursors, prepared by co-precipitation of barium and cerium fluorides from aqueous solutions. We have found that the Ce3+ luminescence, which is typical for cerium (III)-containing ceramics and single crystals, was not observed for such polycrystalline precursors, and the intensity of barium fluoride’s own luminescence decreases with increasing amounts of the cerium dopant in the specimens. We have interpreted our results as two-phase precipitation of barium hydrofluoride (BaF2·HF) and cerium fluoride, respectively. Cerium (III) became incorporated in fluorite-type barium fluoride lattice only later, in the course of ceramics synthesis by the hot-pressing technique.
Supporting agencies: This work was supported by the Scholarship of the President of Russian Federation (SP-6467.2013.2) and RFBR grant No. 13-02-12162-ofi-m. Authors thank V. V. Voronov and R. P. Ermakov for their help with X-ray diffraction experiments.
About the Authors
S. Kh. Batygov
Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute
Moscow
M. N. Mayakova
Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute
Moscow
S. V. Kuznetsov
Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute
Moscow
P. P. Fedorov
Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
A. M. Prokhorov General Physics Institute
Moscow
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Review
For citations:
Batygov S.Kh., Mayakova M.N., Kuznetsov S.V., Fedorov P.P. X-ray luminescence of BaF2:Ce3+ powders. Nanosystems: Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics. 2014;5(6):752-756.
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