Preparation of fine powder of cerium doper yttrium aluminum garnet (Y$_3$Al$_5$O$_{12}$:Ce$^{3+}$) with strong photoluminescence

A highly dispersed powder of a luminescent yttrium aluminum garnet doped with cerium (YAG:Ce) was synthesized by a simple low-cost method of pyrolysis of an aerosol containing aluminum, yttrium and cerium nitrate solution. The morphology and crystal structure of the obtained samples were investigated after synthesis and after thermal annealing, the Raman spectra and the photoluminescence spectra of the synthesized samples were investigated depending on the conditions of synthesis and annealing. It is shown that in order to obtain strong photoluminescence, a considerable excess of citric acid has to be added to the initial precursor solution. The method is a simple and productive synthesis of highly dispersed YAG:Ce powder with intense photoluminescence spectrum in the visible light region of 450–650 nm.