THERMAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF SODIUM-PHOSPHO - ZINC - NEODYMIUM OXIDE GLASS SYSTEM

Abstract

Neodymium doped sodium phospho-zinc oxide glasses of the composition (80-x) NaPO3–20 ZnO – x Nd2O3 (where x = 0, 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7 mol %) have been synthesized by energy efficient microwave heating technique. In order to understand the role of neodymium in these glasses, the density, glass transition, refractive index, optical absorption and photoluminescence properties were investigated. The density and refractive index were found to increase with increasing neodymium concentration which is attributed to the formation of non-bridging oxygens (NBOs) in the glass matrices. The optical absorption spectra were measured in the wavelength range 300-1000 nm and the optical band gaps were determined. It was found that the optical band gap decreases with an increase in neodymium concentrationThe photoluminescence measurements showed luminescent peaks around 880 and 1060 nm, which are due to the radiative transitions 4F3/2 4I9/2 and 4F3/2 4 I11/2 of Nd3+ ions.