Luminescence properties of Ce3+ doped lithium germanate glass ceramics containing LiF nanocrystals for thermal neutron detection

Ce 3+ doped lithium germanate glass ceramics containing LiF nanocrystals were fabricated through melt-quenching technique and subsequent heat-treatment process. As demonstrated by XRD results, the grain size of the precipitated LiF nanocrystals falls within the range of 15.7 to 21.1 nm. Upon 350 nm light excitation, the emission spectra of both the glass and GC samples display a broadband spectrum, with the peak at 410 nm. The luminescence intensities of the GC samples are markedly higher than the as-prepared glass. Moreover, the luminescence intensity of the GC samples gradually augments with the elevation of heat-treatment temperature and the extension of treatment time. The fluorescence lifetimes of the GC samples range from 17.56 ns to 21.27 ns. The results are instructive for the research and development of the germanate glass ceramics containing 6 Li for thermal neutron detection.