Structural and luminescent properties of crystalline microstructure in the GeO2-PbO-PbF2 glass-ceramics doped with luminescent ions

• Published in: Journal of alloys and compounds Vol. 451; no. 1-2; pp. 586 - 590
• Main Authors: DOMINIAK-DZIK, G, RYBA-ROMANOWSKI, W
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier 28.02.2008
• Subjects: Amorphous materials, glasses and other disordered solids; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Exact sciences and technology; Optical properties and condensed-matter spectroscopy and other interactions of matter with particles and radiation; Photoluminescence; Physics; Lead oxide; Germanate glasses; Oxyfluoride glasses; Crystallization; Doping; Photoluminescence; Differential thermal analysis; XRD; Heat treatments; Lanthanide ions; Luminescence decay; Lead fluoride; Optical properties; Glass-ceramics; Rare earth additions; Kinetics; Microstructure; Lifetimes
• ISSN: 0925-8388; 1873-4669
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jallcom.2007.04.117

Transparent glass-ceramics containing beta-PbF2:Ln3+ (Ln3+=Er, Tm, Yb) crystallites were prepared by controlled nucleation of basic oxyfluoride glass with composition 50GeO2-(40-x)PbO-10PbF2-xLnF3 (x=0.2-5mol%). The differential thermal analysis of as-melted samples provided thermal characteristics essential for individual controlled devitrification processes. Kinetics and optical techniques monitored the thermal treatment effect on the lanthanide coordination sphere. The X-ray powder diffraction technique (XRD) was used to confirm and to identify crystalline phases and to estimate average crystalline size. In the case of the Er3+ and Tm3+-doped specimens the presence of both the halo pattern (typical for an amorphous state) and the crystalline phase of beta-PbF2:Ln was observed. The Yb-doped samples did not exhibit such XRD patterns. The thermal treatment effects on excited state relaxations of luminescent levels and the structure of optical bands were observed. Non-exponential decay curves of precursor samples became nearly exponential with longer lifetimes in glass-ceramics.