Synthesis of BaF2:Ce nanophosphor and epoxy encapsulated transparent nanocomposite

BaF2:Ce nanophosphors with a peak emission at 355 nm were synthesized using a chemical precipitation method with oleic acid as the capping ligands. The cerium doping concentration was optimized and it was found that the photoluminescence intensity reached a maximum at about 15 mol% of Ce doping. Two distinct photoluminescence excitation peaks were observed from all samples at about 255 and 290 nm. The nanophosphors were incorporated into an epoxy matrix to form bulk nanocomposite samples for potential scintillation applications. Index matching between the nanophosphor and the epoxy matrix is critical to obtain high transparency.