Comparison between synthesis methods to obtain magnesium titanate undoped and containing trivalent chromium

Abstract

In this work we present the synthesis of magnesium titanate ceramic (Mg₂TiO₄) undoped and containing Cr³⁺ as activator ion through two different preparation methods, the solid-state reaction and the acetate (wet chemical) method. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction and photoluminescence spectroscopy. We intend to verify the influence of the preparation method on the quality of the samples and on the optical properties of the material. The compound was successfully synthesized in both preparation processes, and the photoluminescence measurements show that the spectra of the undoped samples are very different from the samples containing Cr³⁺ and also indicate that the presence of Cr³⁺ as an emitting ion increases significantly the compound emission. A subtle increase in the emission signal intensity of samples prepared by the wet chemical method was also observed when compared to samples prepared by solid-state reaction.