Combustion synthesis and structural characterization of YAG: Influence of fuel and Si doping

Abstract

Yttrium aluminum garnet (Y₃Al₅O₁₂, YAG) was synthesized by low-temperature combustion synthesis (CS) with different fuels such as urea, glycine, and ammonium acetate. It has been observed that combination of urea and glycine fuels results in the formation of YAG with some impurity phase. The effect of Si incorporation in the process was studied. The combustion synthesis from mixed fuels and silica was found superior for low-temperature synthesis of pure YAG at without further heat treatment. Phase evolutions and results of flame temperature measurements are reported. Rietveld refinement and analytical calculation of different structural parameters were performed to get proper notion about Si substitution in host matrix. The thermoluminescence (TL) of materials caused by UV irradiation was used to elucidate the nature of traps. The TL analysis revealed the presence of shallow traps whose amount grew with Si doping.