Laser-Induced Time-Resolved Luminescence of Rare-Earth Elements in Scheelite

M. Gaft1, G. Panczer2, E. Uspensky3 and R. Reisfeld4
1 Department of Natural Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 16 Klausner St., 61392 Tel-Aviv, Israel
2 Lab. de Physico-Chimie des Matériaux Luminescents, Université Claude Bernard - Lyon 1, UMR 5620 CNRS, 43 Bd. du 11 November 1918, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
3 IGEM of Russian Academy of Sciences, Staromonetny Per. 35, Moscow, 109017, Russia
4 Department of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, 91940 Jerusalem, Israel

Abstract: Natural and synthetic scheelite are investigated by time-resolved laser-induced luminescence to detect and ascribe various luminescence lines to a variety of REE. The selectivity of detection is possible by using different time delays after excitation, different gate widths and different excitation wavenumbers and allowed to detect REE in samples where they are hidden by intrinsic luminescence and not visible in the steady-state spectra as well as by cathodoluminescenee. Luminescence of Pr3+, Er3+ and Tm3+ are detected even with low concentrations and in the presence of Tb3+, Dy3+ and Sm3+. Luminescence of Ho3+ and Yb3+ is firstly detected in natural scheelites and luminescence of Eu2+ and Ce3+ is preliminary suggested.

Keywords: scheelite • time-resolved luminescence • REE

Mineralogical Magazine; April 1999 v. 63; no. 2; p. 199-210; DOI: 10.1180/002646199548439
© 1999, The Mineralogical Society
Mineralogical Society (www.minersoc.org)