FEATURES OF THERMOCHEMICAL SYNTHESIS OF NANOCRYSTALLINE POWDERS OF LANTHANUM-ALLOYED ERBIUM OXIDE

The article describes the studied features of formation of nanocrystalline powders of erbium oxide with the addition of lanthanum oxide by the method of thermochemical synthesis (combustion), intended for obtaining high-density ceramics. The sources for synthesis were nitrate salts of erbium and lanthanum, and polyvinyl alco-hol was used as a dispersing agent for separating agglomerates. The alloying and sintering additive – lantha-num oxide La2O3 – was introduced into the initial composition in the form of lanthanum nitrate. Studies of the morphological and structural characteristics of the powders using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray phase analysis showed that the Er2О3 : La powder samples calcined at 850 °C have a quasi-spherical particle shape with sizes of 21–28 nm, and heat treatment of the powders at 1100 °C in an air atmosphere promotes par-ticle growth to 76–103 nm and their agglomeration. It is shown that nanostructured Er2O3 : La powders obtained by thermochemical reactions and calcined at 850 ºC luminesce intensely in the IR-area centered at 1533.6 nm upon excitation at 519 nm, and the lumines-cence spectrum has a shape typical for a crystalline matrix