Secondary Phase CeO[sub.2] Precipitates in Ce,Er-Doped Na[sub.0.5]La[sub.0.5]MoO[sub.4] Single Crystals Grown by Czochralski Method

Analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the microstructure of Ce,Er-doped Na[sub.0.5] La[sub.0.5] MoO[sub.4] laser crystals. Crystals were grown by the Czochralski method from the melts with a nominal composition of Na[sub.0.5] La[sub.0.5−x] Ce[sub.x] Er[sub.0.005...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Crystals (Basel) 2023-07, Vol.13 (7)
Main Authors: Suvorova, Elena I, Subbotin, Kirill A, Lis, Denis A, Zharikov, Evgeny V, Buffat, Philippe A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cerium
Chemical properties
Crystals
Materials research
Precipitation (Chemistry)
Sodium compounds
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Summary:Analytical scanning and transmission electron microscopy were used to study the microstructure of Ce,Er-doped Na[sub.0.5] La[sub.0.5] MoO[sub.4] laser crystals. Crystals were grown by the Czochralski method from the melts with a nominal composition of Na[sub.0.5] La[sub.0.5−x] Ce[sub.x] Er[sub.0.005] MoO[sub.4] , where x = 0.125 and 0.15, then annealed at 700 and 1000 °C in the oxidizing atmosphere. We found the secondary phase precipitation of Ce[sub.2] O[sub.3] oxide in as-grown crystals, while after high-temperature annealing the CeO[sub.2] precipitated crystals are always observed. Impurity ions Ce[sup.3+] occupy the La sites, and approximately 20% of the nominal Ce content is involved in the formation of Ce oxide secondary phase precipitates. The length of CeO[sub.2] precipitated crystals ranged between 100 nm and 550 nm (average length was 200 nm) and their width was 30–70 nm. The mechanism of CeO[sub.2] formation is discussed. The orientation relationships of Na[sub.0.5] La[sub.0.5−x] Ce[sub.x] Er[sub.0.005] MoO[sub.4] /CeO[sub.2] , the degree of coherence of the interface, and the preferential directions of their growth in the matrix were established. CeO[sub.2] crystals precipitated in the matrix cause light scattering with a wavelength comparable to the size of the precipitates and lead to deterioration of optical transparency of the material.
ISSN:2073-4352
2073-4352
DOI:10.3390/cryst13071125