Aerosol synthesis of highly dispersed Y$_{3}$Al$_{5}$O$_{12}$ : Ce$^{3+}$ phosphor with intense photoluminescence

A simple method of pyrolysis of an aerosol solution of yttrium, aluminum, and cerium nitrates with the addition of urea or citric acid, followed by brief annealing, is developed to obtain a highly dispersed aluminum–yttrium garnet powder that demonstrates intense photoluminescence in the visible light region. Characterization of the synthesized samples (photoluminescence spectra, X-ray diffraction analysis, Raman spectra) showed that intense photoluminescence is achieved only in a narrow window of process conditions, namely, the concentration of nitrate solution and the concentration of citric acid or urea. The photoluminescence intensity increases upon annealing synchronously with an increase in the crystallite size, which, along with the optimal cerium concentration ($\sim$0.5 at %), is a determining factor for obtaining high-quality samples. The synthesized powders had intense photoluminescence and high optical perfection, as evidenced by the observation of whispering gallery modes.