Garnet Phase Formation in Y2O3–Lu2O3–Yb2O3–Er2O3–Al2O3 System During the Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Weakly Agglomerated Ceramic Powders by Coprecipitation Method Using Ammonium Sulfate

Abstract

For the first time, we obtained a series of ceramic powders with garnet structure, (Y1–xLux)3Yb0.15Er0.03Al5O12 (YLuAG), using the coprecipitation method with ammonium sulfate. The atomic ratio of Y3+/Lu3+ cations was varied from 80/20 to 20/80. It was determined that the formation of the garnet phase under the synthesis conditions proceeds through the formation of intermediate phases, whose composition depends on the Y/Lu ratio in the initial salt solution. The differential thermal analysis (DTA) of precursor powders and x-ray diffraction (XRD) of (Y1–xLux)3Yb0.15Er0.03Al5O12 ceramic powders obtained at 800, 900, 1000, and 1150°C facilitated the identification of the temperature ranges for the formation and decomposition of intermediate crystalline phases obtained during the thermal synthesis of the garnet phase, including Y2O2SO4, Y2(SO4)3, Lu2(SO4)3, and Lu1–xYxAlO3.