Browsing by Author "Dejene, B. F."

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    A preliminary study of Thermoluminescence of beta-irradiated SrAl2O4:Eu2+, Dy3+ phosphors
    (2015) Wako, Ali Halake; Dejene, B. F.; Swart, H.C.
    Eu2+ doped and Dy3+ co-doped strontium aluminate (SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+) phosphors were synthesized by the solution - combustion technique at 500 oC using urea as a reducer, a widely known method for preparing nano sized phosphors. Sr(NO3)2, Al(NO3)3.9H2O, CH4N2O, Eu(NO3)3.5H2O and Dy(NO3)3 were used as raw materials for the preparation of the SrAl2O4 (RE: Eu, Dy) precursor. The thermoluminescence (TL) properties of beta (β) irradiated SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ have been studied. The electron-trapping properties in terms of TL glow curves are discussed in detail. The TL intensity was recorded for different beta doses at different heating rates. The influence of repeated measurements on the same sample on peak temperature and TL intensity was also investigated. Different kinetic parameters like activation energy and frequency factor are calculated for different TL glow curves. We have also calculated the trap depth with the variable heating method.
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    Properties of blue emitting CaAl2O4:Eu2+, Nd3+ phosphor by optimizing the amount of flux and fuel
    (Elsevier, 2014-04) Wako, Ali Halake; Dejene, B. F.; Swart, H.C.
    Long afterglow CaAl2O4:0.03Eu2+, 0.03Nd3+ phosphor was prepared by solution-combustion synthesis. The active role of boric acid (H3BO3) as a flux in enhancing the Eu2+ photoluminescence and the effect of a varied amount of urea (CO (NH2)2) as a fuel on the morphological, structural and photoluminescent (PL) properties of the CaAl2O4:0.03Eu2+, 0.03Nd3+ systems were investigated. The results of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and PL spectra revealed the influence of the dosage of urea and hence the heated process on the crystallinity, morphology, and luminescence of the phosphor. The addition of H3BO3 favoured the formation of a monoclinic CaAl2O4 phase while the variation of the amount of CO (NH2)2 showed mixed phases although still predominantly monoclinic. Both H3BO3 and CO(NH2)2 to some extent influence the luminescence intensity of the obtained phosphor but unlike the case of CO(NH2)2, the presence of H3BO3 did not evidently shift the emission peak due to no obvious change in the energy level difference of the 4f–5d levels. The broad blue emissions consisting mainly of symmetrical bands having maxima between 440 and 445 nm originate from the energy transitions between the ground state (4f7) and the excited state (4f65d1) of the Eu2+ ions while the narrow emissions in the red region (600–630 nm) arise from the 5D0→7F2 transitions of the remnant unreduced Eu3+ions. Higher concentrations of H3BO3 (0.228 mol and 0.285 mol) reduce both intensity and lifetime of the phosphor. The optimized content of H3BO3 was 0.171 mol for the obtained phosphor with the best optical properties.
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    Roles of doping ions in afterglow properties of blue CaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+ phosphors
    (2014-04) Wako, Ali Halake; Dejene, B. F.; Swart, H.C.
    Eu2+ doped and Nd3+ co-doped calcium aluminate (CaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+) phosphor was prepared by a urea-nitrate solution combustion method at furnace temperatures as low as 500 °C. The produced CaAl2O4:Eu2+,Nd3+ powder was investigated in terms of phase composition, morphology and luminescence by X-Ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Fourier Transform Infra Red spectroscopy (FTIR) and Photoluminescence (PL) techniques respectively. XRD analysis depicts a dominant monoclinic phase that indicates no change in the crystalline structure of the phosphor with varying concentration of Eu2+ and Nd3+. SEM results show agglomerates with non-uniform shapes and sizes with a number of irregular network structures having lots of voids and pores. The Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and (FTIR) spectra confirm the expected chemical components of the phosphor. PL measurements indicated one broadband excitation spectra from 200 to 300 nm centered around 240 nm corresponding to the crystal field splitting of the Eu2+ d-orbital and an emission spectrum in the blue region with a maximum on 440 nm. This is a strong indication that there was dominantly one luminescence center, Eu2+ which represents emission from transitions between the 4f7 ground state and the 4f6–5d1 excited state configuration. High concentrations of Eu2+ and Nd3+ generally reduce both intensity and lifetime of the phosphor powders. The optimized content of Eu2+ is 1 mol% and for Nd3+ is 1 mol% for the obtained phosphors with excellent optical properties. The phosphor also emits visible light at around 587 and 616 nm. Such emissions can be ascribed to the 5D0–7F1 and 5D0–7F2 intrinsic transition of Eu3+ respectively. The decay characteristics exhibit a significant rise in initial intensity with increasing Eu2+ doping concentration while the decay time increased with Nd3+ co-doping. The observed afterglow can be ascribed to the generation of suitable traps due to the presence of the Nd3+ ions.