Influence of Fe2+ doping concentration on the structure and spectroscopic properties of transparent glass-ceramics based on Fe2+:ZnAl2O4 nanocrystals

• Published in: Journal of physics. Conference series Vol. 1695; no. 1
• Main Authors: Eremeev, K, Dymshits, O, Khubetsov, A, Alekseeva, I, Zapalova, S, Tsenter, M, Zhilin, A., Basyrova, L, Loiko, P, Popkov, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IOP Publishing 01.12.2020
• ISSN: 1742-6588; 1742-6596
• DOI: 10.1088/1742-6596/1695/1/012011

Zinc aluminosilicate glasses nucleated by titanium dioxide, both undoped and doped with 0.6 and 1.0 wt% FeO were prepared by conventional melt-quenching technique and subsequently converted to glass-ceramics by controlled nucleation and crystallization in the temperature range of 720 - 1200 °C. The glasses and glass-ceramics were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Raman and optical spectroscopy. The addition of FeO speeds up the liquid phase separation of the initial glasses and gahnite (ZnAl2O4), rutile (TiO2) and cristobalite (SiO2) crystallization. Ferrous ions enter the gahnite crystals leading to a variation of the absorption spectra of glass-ceramics as compared to those of glasses. The glass-ceramics exhibit a broadband (1.5-2.5 μm) absorption due to the 5E → 5T2 (5D) transition of Fe2+ ions in tetrahedral sites in gahnite nanocrystals. They are promising as materials for gain media and saturable absorbers of mid-infrared lasers.