PrAlO3-PrAl11O18 Eutectic : Its Microstructure and Spectroscopic Properties

The praseodymium aluminum perovskite-praseodymium hexaluminate (PrAlO 3 -PrA1 11 O 18 ) eutectic has been studied for the first time. It has been grown by the micro-pulling down method from a composition of 20.7% Pr 2 O 3 and 79.3% Al 2 O 3 . The PrAlO 3 -PrAl 11 O 18 eutectic tends to grow as a fibrous microstructure, with the PrAlO 3 phase forming microfibers that are packed in a matrix of the PrAl 11 O 18 phase. The eutectic has been grown with different pulling rates (p.r.'s): 0.15, 0.3, 0.45, 1, and 5 mm/min. The smallest microfibers were obtained with p.r. = 5 mm/min and are 300 nm in diameter. To the authors' best knowledge, this is the first report of the crystalline phase of PrAl 11 O 18 . The absorption and luminescence spectra of the eutectic are presented. The fibrous/rodlike eutectic self-organized structure obtained in this work has the potential for application in modern photonics in the field of photonic crystals and/or metamaterials.