Photoluminescence and thermoluminescence of YAG:Ce3+,Tb3+ nanocrystalline under UV-, X- and β-irradiation

Abstract

The photoluminescence (PL) and thermoluminescence (TL) characterization of undoped and cerium and terbium doped nanocrystalline Y3Al5O12 (YAG) prepared by the sol-gel method is reported. The experimental results of the PL show the typical emission bands centered at 490, 543 and 590 nm for YAG:Tb3+ and 530 nm for YAG:Ce3+ when excited with 325 and 345 nm light, respectively. The TL signal was obtained after exposure to UV-, X- and β- irradiation. The thermoluminescence results indicate that YAG:Tb3+ sample is very sensitive to all type of irradiation used, being highly sensitive for UV-irradiation. The high efficiency of the TL and PL suggests a good potential of this material as radiation dosimeter as well as active optical windows and new generation television screen.