Concentration dependence of the Ce3+ and Tb3+ luminescence of Ce1-xTbxMgAl11O19

The quenching of the Ce³⁺ emission and the increase of the Tb³⁺ emission with increasing x of Ce_1-xTb_xMgAl₁₁O₁₉ for x ? 0.35 is ascribed to energy transfer from Ce³⁺ to Tb³⁺, which is restricted to nearest rare earth neighbours. This transfer is almost complete at x ? 0.35. The decrease of the Tb³⁺ emission at higher Tb³⁺ concentrations is not due to Tb³⁺ concentrational quenching, but due to the limited solubility of Tb³⁺ in the CeMgAl₁₁O₁₉ phase.