Comparative investigation on synthesis and photoluminescence of YAG:Ce phosphor

Phosphor yttrium aluminum garnet Y3Al5O12 (YAG), activated with trivalent cerium (Ce3+) was synthesized by different methods: solid-state reaction (SS), co-precipitation (CP) with ammonium bicarbonate, sol–gel (SG) with citric acid and combustion (CB) with urea. The crystallization, morphologies, particle size and luminescent character of the phosphors obtained under different experimental conditions were studied. The influences of various factors on the luminescence intensity of the phosphor were investigated, such as sintering time, repeated calcinations, reaction temperature, and quantities of urea used in CB.