Cation distribution and optical properties of Cr-doped MgGa2O4 nanocrystals

Abstract The distribution of cations in the spinel-type MgCr2yGa2−2yO4 (y = 0–0.6) nanocrystals and their optical properties as a function of annealing temperature and chromium content were investigated by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) in combination with absorption spectroscopy. The cations in MgCr2yGa2−2yO4 nanocrystals are disorderly distributed with mixing of divalent and trivalent cations occupying the tetrahedral and octahedral sites. With the increase of annealing temperature, the inversion parameter (the fraction of Mg2+ ions in octahedral sites) decreases, which has the same varying tendency with the proportion of tetrahedral Ga3+ or Cr3+ ions. The inversion parameter increases with increasing Cr3+ concentration. The absorption spectra indicate that Cr3+ ions are located in the octahedral sites as well as in the tetrahedral sites. The fraction of tetrahedral Cr3+ decreases with Cr-enrichment. The optical absorption properties of Cr-doped MgGa2O4 nanocrystals may be tuned by varying the preparation temperature or Cr concentration.