Synthesis by microwave-assisted and luminescence properties of CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor

In this paper, CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor is synthesized by microwave-assisted sintering. The decomposition behavior of intermediate product is detected using thermogravimetric analysis. The crystalline phase and surface morphology of samples are discussed by X-ray diffraction spectra and transmission electron microscopy spectra. The luminescence properties of the phosphor are characterized by means of brightness meter and luminescence spectrometer. It is shown that the time and power of microwave irradiation have a great influence on the luminescence characteristics. And the microwave irradiation can improve the surface morphology of CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor observably. The optimal luminescence properties of CaTiO3:Pr3+ phosphor are typically obtained at 900 degrees C for 2 h with the microwave irradiation for 15 min at 300 W microwave power. Crown Copyright (c) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.