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arXiv · 2605.24800

Photoluminescence Identification of Multiple Local Eu3+ Environments in BaTiO3 Ceramics

Yutong Cai·Duanting Yan·Hancheng Zhu
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Abstract

BaTiO3 is a model ferroelectric perovskite whose properties are highly sensitive to local structure, defect chemistry, and dopant distribution. However, conventional diffraction mainly probes the average lattice and can miss subtle changes in the local coordination environment. Here we use Eu3+ photoluminescence as a local optical probe for BaTiO3 ceramics prepared at 1250, 1300, and 1350 {\deg}C. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectra show that all samples retain the tetragonal BaTiO3 phase within the detection limits of these techniques. Electron microscopy reveals a porous ceramic microstructure with temperature-dependent grain growth, and elemental mapping confirms a spatially distributed Eu signal. The Eu3+ excitation and emission spectra show strong sensitivity to the processing temperature. The sample sintered at 1250 {\deg}C gives the highest emission intensity, while higher sintering temperatures change the relative intensity of the charge-transfer band and the 4f-4f transitions. Most importantly, the 5D0 to 7F0 emission contains two reproducible components near 579.5 nm and 582.2 nm. Their relative weights vary with sintering temperature, and double-exponential decay at 612 nm further supports the presence of multiple Eu-related local environments. These results show that Eu3+ luminescence provides a sensitive route to track local structural heterogeneity in BaTiO3 ceramics.

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Yutong Cai, Duanting Yan, Hancheng Zhu. 2026-05-24. Photoluminescence Identification of Multiple Local Eu3+ Environments in BaTiO3 Ceramics. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.24800

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