National Research Nuclear University MEPhI

A. M. Vilyanskiy, Senior Lecturer, phone: +7 (495) 324-29-25

M. F. Zvonchevskaya, Assistant Professor

E. A. Mesyats, Assistant Professor of a Chair of General Chemistry

Ytterbium orthophosphate refers to the type of monazites crystals and is used as a radiation-resistant ceramic materials. Ceramic or nanocrystalline YbPO₄, doped with erbium and thulium belongs to a new class of nonlinear optical materials. The aim of this study was to obtain by solid-phase synthesis of nanocrystalline powders waterless ytterbium phosphate YbPO4 as precursors for doped ceramics. The initial solution was used Yb(NO₃)₃. By solid-phase synthesis of nanopowders obtained waterless ytterbium phosphate. The influence of the initial concentration of nitrate ytterbium Yb(NO₃)₃ on the particle size was established: an increase in the concentration of solution Yb(NO₃)₃ leads to an increase in particle size. Thermal analysis of carried out by heating the samples up to 1200 ^оC at 10 ^оC/min. Thermal decomposition analysis of showed that the crystallization occurs with the formation of orthophosphate waterless ytterbium at 650 ^оC. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) powder YbPO₄ performed using a data bank of JCPDS. Diffraction pattern confirms the formation of the nanocrystalline product with a particle size of 5.5 nm. The sample microstructure and the estimate of the particles size is made by using an electron microscope JEOL JSM-6700F with energy dispersive microanalyzer attachment JED-2300F.

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