Photoluminescence studies of shock-recovered Y2O3:Eu3+

A series of shock-recovery experiments on Y2O3:Eu3+ powder were conducted involving the impact of a flyer plate accelerated by a single-stage powder-propellant gun. The recovered samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The XRD and PL results of samples shocked at pressures of 13 GPa indicated that a phase transition from a cubic phase to a monoclinic phase occurred. The recovered samples shocked at 21 and 25 GPa consisted of Y2O3:Eu3+ with the cubic phase and the monoclinic phase. These results indicated that the shock-induced phase transition was the partial completion of the phase transition. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.