Preparation of cerium doped calcium pyrophosphate: Study of luminescent behavior

Thermoluminescent (TL) and photoluminescent (PL) band emissions of cerium doped calcium pyrophosphate (Ca2O7P2:Ce3+ were studied. Wet precipitation method was used to synthesize calcium pyrophosphate, doped with Ce3+ (1.0 at%) impurities, from orthophosphoric acid and calcium acetate, as raw materials. The effect of temperature annealing at 800 and 900 degrees C was investigated. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used to characterize both as-precipitated and annealed powders samples. The PL emission spectrum of samples annealed at 900 degrees C displayed characteristics 5d-4f transitions of Ce3+ at 333 nm and 360 nm. TL measurements were carried out on as precipitated and annealed samples from room temperature (RT) up to 350 degrees C. The TL results of annealed samples showed complex TL glow curves, a linear response in the absorbed dose range of 0.5-5 Gy and a good reproducibility after 10 cycles of irradiation-readout. The complex TL glow curves of annealed samples were analyzed by the methods of T-max-T-stop, Initial Rise (IR) and Computational Glow-Curve Deconvolution (CGCD) assuming a General Order Kinetic (GOK). (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.