Photoluminescence and thermoluminescence properties of pure and rare-earth-doped ZrO2 prepared by Pechini-type sol-gel

In this article, photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescence (TL) properties of ZrO2, ZrO2:Dy3+, ZrO2:Dy3+-Gd3+, ZrO2:Dy3+-Yb3+, ZrO2:Dy3+-Er3+, and ZrO2:Dy3+-Sm3+ phosphors synthesized by the Pechini method were investigated. The crystal structure, thermal properties, morphology, PL and TL properties were investigated using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetric analysis (DTA/TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), PL and TL, respectively. The room temperature emission bands corresponding to F-4(9/2) -> H-6(J) (J =9/2, 11/2, 13/2 and 15/2) transitions of Dy3+ ions were measured. The phosphors were analysed using T-m-T-STOP, variable dose, and computerized glow curve fitting methods. Reusability, dose-response, and fading characteristics were investigated. The phosphors have a natural TL emission that vanished by heating treatment. Moreover, new peaks with similar properties to the natural emissions were observed after high-dose irradiation and long-term fading experiments. The glow curves of the phosphors have 13 individual peaks and many low- and high-temperature satellite peaks. The origin of the peaks is ZrO2 host material and doping with rare-earth ions (Gd3+, Dy3+, Yb3+, Er3+ and Sm3+) does not lead to a new glow peak. The dopants cause drastic changes in individual peak intensities of ZrO2.The initial fading rates of all the phosphors are relatively fast, but they slow down as time goes on.