Search

We have studied the effect of oxide impurities on the formation of BaCl2 nanocrystals in Eu-doped fluorochlorozirconate glass-ceramic storage phosphors using x-ray absorption near-edge structure and x-ray diffraction analyses. It is found that annealing the glass with a relatively high level of oxide impurities causes crystallization of BaCl2 and a phase transition from hexagonal to orthorhombic BaCl2. The latter phase is responsible for the storage phosphor effect. In contrast, the glass with a low impurity concentration forms hexagonal BaCl2, but no such phase transition. Our study provides structural clues for understanding the x-ray storage mechanism in fluorozirconate-based glass ceramics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]