The effect of the host composition on the lifetime decay properties of barium/strontium aluminates compounds

Abstract

This paper reports the influence of the structural change on the luminescence of Eu-doped barium/strontium aluminates when excited with monochromatic X-rays (also known as X-ray excited optical luminescence—XEOL). Ba1−xSrxAl2O4 samples, with 0 < x < 1, were produced via proteic sol-gel route and it was observed that the XEOL emission spectra are composed by the Eu2+ and Eu3+ transitions, although no Eu2+ was observed in the X-ray absorption spectra. The XEOL intensities while the sample is under irradiation decreased as a function of the irradiation time, indicating the buildup of radiation damage. The saturation level of the XEOL is directly correlated to the amount of damages induced by the irradiation and the sample composition. The Ba-rich samples are the ones with higher XEOL yield. X-ray induced long lasting phosphorescence (LLP) was also observed for all samples and it was found that the duration of the phosphorescence emission also depends on the sample composition. In Sr-rich samples, the LLP has a slower decay time constant than in Ba-rich samples. A model of the radiation induced luminescence is presented and all these features are discussed in terms of the energetic costs and the type of defects generated in the sample.