Scintillating and Photoluminescent Ratiometric and Visual Luminescence Thermometry Based on the Ce³⁺-Doped Eutectic...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid-State Physics
• Luminescence

Background:

• Developing multifunctional materials for advanced sensing applications is crucial.
• Cerium-doped garnets (YAG) and perovskites (YAP) are known for their luminescent properties.
• Tailoring material microstructure can significantly influence optical and sensing characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel class of dual-phase, multifunctional photoconversion and thermal sensing materials.
• To investigate the effect of solidification rate on the microstructure and properties of Ce³⁺-doped YAG-YAP eutectics.
• To explore the dual-mode thermal sensing capabilities and optimize sensitivity.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Ce³⁺-doped YAG-YAP eutectic crystals via directional solidification at variable rates (0.1-0.9 mm/min).
• Structural and compositional analysis using techniques to determine phase morphology and dopant distribution.
• Ratiometric luminescence thermometry under photoluminescence (PL) and X-ray-induced scintillation excitation to assess thermal sensing performance.

Main Results:

• A lamellar microstructure of YAG and YAP domains was achieved, with Ce³⁺ preferentially partitioning into the YAG phase.
• Solidification rate controlled domain size, influencing blue light transmission, scattering, and absorption, enabling tunable correlated color temperature (CCT).
• Dual-mode thermal sensing demonstrated, with higher sensitivity (1.1% K^-1) achieved under scintillation excitation compared to PL (0.47% K^-1).

Conclusions:

• Ce³⁺-doped YAG-YAP eutectics offer morphology-driven optical tunability for white light emission.
• Scintillation-based thermal sensing provides passive, remote temperature monitoring capabilities, ideal for extreme environments.
• These multifunctional materials show significant promise for applications in nuclear reactors, aerospace, and particle detection.