Synthesis of high-performance ceramics based on polymerizable complex method

Abstract

The polymerizable complex (PC) method was developed to prepare copper-based high-Tc superconducting oxides with improved superconducting properties, phosphor materials with excellent emission intensities and water-splitting photocatalysts with higher activities. The PC method is based on the formation of metal complexes and subsequent polyesterification between a hydroxy-caroboxylic acid such as citric acid and a glycol such as propylene glycol, so that homogeneity of the metal species inside the polyester resin precursor is maintained on the molecular scale. An example of Y 2SiO5:Ce3+,Tb33+ co-activated phosphor synthesis utilizing a new water soluble silicon compound is provided. The PC method is also an efficient methodology for the preparation of promising compounds for testing, without the requirement of tailoring the synthesis for each candidate; a scheme to search for the potential Tm3+ activated phosphors in the series of complex gallates as hosts has been demonstrated as a representative example. © 2009 The Ceramic Society of Japan.