Structural and Luminescent Peculiarities of Spark Plasma Sintered Transparent MgAl2O4 Spinel Ceramics Doped with Cerium Ions

Abstract

In the present study, the concentration series of MgAl2O4:Ce3+ ceramics have been fabricated by the Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) method. Cerium-doping concentration was varied within a range of 0.1–5 wt.%. The prepared ceramics have been tested using the various experimental techniques: X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, as well as optical and cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. According to XRD, all synthesized samples are biphasic with structural impurities. The cerium ion concentration effect on the cathodoluminescent characteristics of MgAl2O4:Ce3+ ceramics has been studied in terms of emission intensity and decay time. Before annealing the concentration, quenching is observed. The optimal doping Ce3+ concentration was determined to be 5 wt.% after temperature annealing at 1300 °C. The successfully prepared spinel ceramics could be potentially applying for high-energy electrons detection.