https://doi.org/10.1140/epjb/s10051-026-01126-1
Research - Condensed Matter
Comparative study on the structural and optical properties of MgAl2O4: Pr3+ and BaAl2O4: Pr3+ nanophosphors
1
Department of Physics, Christian College, Kattakada, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
2
Department of Physics, Mar Ivanios College, Nalanchira, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
3
Department of Physics, SN College Chempazhanthy, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
a
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Received:
19
November
2025
Accepted:
15
January
2026
Published online:
27
January
2026
Praseodymium (Pr3+) doped magnesium aluminate (MgAl2O4) and barium aluminate (BaAl2O4) nanophosphors were synthesised via the sol–gel method. XRD confirmed the formation of single-phase aluminate structures with average crystallite sizes of 18 nm and 15 nm for MgAl2O4: Pr3+ and BaAl2O4: Pr3+, respectively. MgAl2O4: Pr3+ shows irregular, densely packed grains with rough surfaces, while BaAl2O4: Pr3+ consists of smaller, nearly spherical particles with uniform distribution and minimal agglomeration. Absorption studies for both samples exhibited broad bands in the 600–700 nm range, indicating strong coupling with the host lattices. PL spectra demonstrated host-dependent emission characteristics. MgAl2O4: Pr3+ showed intense red emissions with peaks at 650 nm (3P0 → 3F2) and 710 nm (3P0 → 3F3) emissions, while BaAl2O4: Pr3+ exhibited prominent blue emission at 490 nm (3P0 → 3H4) along with weaker green-yellow emissions in the 530–580 nm. These unique emission properties highlight MgAl2O4: Pr3+ as a promising red-emitting phosphor, while BaAl2O4: Pr3+ can be used for blue-emitting applications in solid-state lighting and optoelectronic devices.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
