Effect of fluxes on structure and luminescence properties of Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphors

Ce3+-activated yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) was prepared by the solid-state reaction, in which H3BO3, LiF, NaF, KF and BaF2 were used as the fluxes. The effect of fluxes on optical properties of phosphors was studied in detail, especially the fluxes of alkali fluorides, which could enhance the emission intensity and change the wavelength of emission peaks. Among these YAG:Ce phosphors, the phosphor sintered with H3BO3 and NaF exhibited the strongest emission. The emission peaks of phosphors prepared with fluxes from LiF to KF were shifted to long wavelength. The effect of NaF concentration on the emission intensity of YAG:Ce was also investigated. The value of emission intensity reached the maximum when the concentration of NaF was 0.5%.