Physical properties of multicomponent fluoride glasses for photonic and superionic applications

Heavy metal fluoride glasses are promising materials for ultra-low loss mid-infrared optical fibers. The fibers are applied in remote spectroscopy, laser surgery, and thermal imaging. Upon doping with rare earth ions, heavy metal fluoride fibers are suitable for a development of high power laser materials, up-conversion lasers, and optical amplifiers for telecommunications systems. As heavy metal fluorides are prospective fast fluoride ion conductors, fluoride glasses based on ZrF₄, BaF₂, LaF₃, AlF₃ and NaF (ZBLAN), PbF₂, InF₃, BaF₂, AlF₃, LaF₃ (PIBAL) or ZnF₂, BaF₂, InF₃, SrF₂, AlF₃, NaF (ZBISAN) are interesting for a development of glassy or fibrous ionic conductors. In this paper, the ionic conductivity and dielectric response of the abovementioned multicomponent fluoride glasses is studied. The influence of the glass composition on the glass transition temperature (T_g) and on the crystallization temperature (T_cr) is also reported. The optimum composition and drawing temperature for fluoride glass fibers is specified. Paper presented at the 7th Euroconference on Ionics, Calcatoggio, Corsica, France, Oct. 1–7, 2000.     

Fluoride glasses in the InF3-GaF3-YF3-PbF2-CaF2-ZnF2 system

New glasses have been synthesized in a multicomponent system based on indium fluoride. Samples of a few mm in thickness were obtained. They are transparent and homogeneous. Main physical properties such as density, characteristic temperatures, density, thermal expansion and refractive index have been measured. The evolution versus composition is reported for samples with the formula: (35−x) InF₃-xGaF₃-10YF₃-25PbF₂-15CaF₂-15ZnF₂. T_g lies between 260 and 296 °C while melting starts around 480 °C. Glass samples are stable at room temperature. By comparison with other standard fluoride glasses, they exhibit higher refractive index and density.     

Mössbauer study of various fluoride glasses containing iron fluoride

(PbF₂, ZnF₂, AlF₃, or ZrF₄) - (BaF₂ and CaF₂) - FeF₃ glasses with 20 or 30 mol%FeF₃ contents were studied by ⁵⁷Fe Mössbauer spectroscopy. The Mössbauer spectrum at room temperature for the PbF₂-based glass is composed of one doublet due to Fe³⁺, whereas those for the ZnF₂?, AlF₃?, and ZrF₄-based glasses, two doublets due to Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺. Both the iron ions have octahedral F coordination in the high spin states. The Fe²⁺/(Fe²⁺ + Fe³⁺) value in glass increases with the basicity of base glass.     

Thermal conductivity and expansion of PbF2 single crystals

In order to check a phenomenon of the negative correlation between ionic and thermal conductivities of solid substances, we studied the thermal conductivity and expansion of cubic PbF₂ single crystals at 50–300 and 5.6–317 K, respectively. We found that lead difluoride had a thermal expansion coefficient α that was equal to (28.5 ± 0.3)10⁻⁶ K⁻¹ at 300 K, and a thermal conductivity coefficient k(T) was equal to 1.40 ± 0.07 W/(m K) at the same temperature. Thus, the thermal conductivity for PbF₂ is the lowest among fluorite-type MF₂ (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Cd, Pb) thermal conductivities, whereas its fluoride-ion conductivity is the highest one among MF₂ (M = Ca, Sr, Ba, Cd, Pb) ionic conductors.

     

Host dependent frequency upconversion of Er-doped oxyfluoride germanate glasses

Er³⁺-doped oxyfluoride germanate glasses have been synthesized by the conventional melting and quenching method. The Judd-Ofelt intensity parameters were calculated based on the Judd-Ofelt theory and absorption spectra measurements. With the substitution of PbF₂ for PbO, the Ω₂ parameter decreases, while the Ω₆ parameter increases. These change trends indicate that fluoride anions come to coordinate erbium cations and the covalency of the Er-O bond decreases. Structural and thermal stability properties were obtained by Raman spectra and differential thermal analysis, indicating that PbF₂ plays an important role in the formation of glass network and has an important influence on the maximum phonon energy and thermal stability of host glasses. Intense green and red emissions centered at 525, 546, and 657 nm, corresponding to the transitions ²H_11/2→⁴I_15/2, ⁴S_3/2→⁴I_15/2, and ⁴F_9/2→⁴I_15/2, respectively, were simultaneously observed at room temperature. With increasing PbF₂ content, the intensity of red (657 nm) emissions increases significantly, while that of the green (525 and 546 nm) emission increases slightly. The results indicate that PbF₂ has more influence on the red (657 nm) emission than the green (525 and 546 nm) emissions in oxyfluoride germanate glasses. The possible upconversion luminescence mechanisms have also been estimated and discussed.     

Lead fluorosilicate glass ceramics doped with Nd3+, Er3+, and Yb3+

Glasses in the PbF₂-PbO-SiO₂ system doped with 1 mol % of rare-earth elements (Nd³⁺, Er³⁺, or Yb³⁺) are synthesized and studied. The glasses were heat-treated in order to obtain glass ceramics with a fluoride crystalline phase. The changes in the structure and spectral optical properties of glass ceramics with respect to initial glasses were determined by using X-ray diffraction analysis and by studying the luminescent characteristics of dopant ions.     

Lead−barium fluoroborate glass ceramics doped with Nd<Superscript>3+</Superscript> or Er<Superscript>3+</Superscript>

Lead?barium fluoroborate glasses in the PbF₂–BaF₂–B₂O₃, PbF₂–BaO–B₂O₃, and PbO_– BaF₂–B₂O₃ systems doped with rare-earth ions (Nd³⁺ or Er³⁺) are synthesized and studied. It is shown that, based on these glasses, it is possible to produce transparent glass ceramics with fluoride crystalline phases, including ceramics with one crystalline phase of the fluorite structure. The spectral and luminescent properties of the doped glasses, glass ceramics, and polycrystalline complex fluorides containing Pb, Ba, and rare ions are studied.     

Ionic transport in the Na2SO4Na2WO4 and Na2SO4M2(SO4)3 (M=La,Dy, Sm,In) systems

Premelted, predried Na₂SO₄, premelted Na₂WO₄, Na₂SO₄Na₂WO₄ composites and Na₂SO₄M₂(SO₄)₃ (M = La, Dy, Sm, In) have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction, DTA and electrical conductivity measurements. The high temperature, highly conducting Na₂SO₄ phase I has been successfully stabilised at room temperature; the Na₂SO₄ containing 4 mole% La₂(SO₄)₃ exhibits the highest conductivity (σ) and lowest activation energy (E_a) (σ=1.08 × 10⁻³ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 290°C and E_a=0.50 eV) and therefore this system appears promising for further development.     

Enhancement of ionic conductivity by dispersed oxide inclusions: Influence of oxide isoelectric point and cation size

Doping of a halide salt by dispersion of oxide particles rather than subtitutional impurities is a proven method of enhancing the extrinsic ionic conductivity of the host. The conductivity mechanism in any space-charge layer at the oxide/host interface is determined by the chemical reactions at the interface. These interactions are discussed by analogy with the particle hydrates. The enhancement of the F⁻-ion conductivity in PbF₂ is predicted to be via F⁻-ion vacancies in the space-charge region and to increase with decreasing oxide isoelectric point and increasing normal anion coordination of the oxide cation. This prediction accounts satisfactorily for the relative enhancement factors measured for PbF₂ containing dispersed CeO₂, SiO₂, ZrO₂ and Al₂O₃.     

Enhanced electrical transport in LiBrLiI mixed crystals and LiBrAl2O3 composites

LiBrLiI mixed crystals and LiBrAl₂O₃ composites have been studied by means of complex impedance analysis an conductivity, X-ray diffraction, DTA and SEM techniques. The substitution of wrong size I⁻ ions in LiBr increases the conductivity and decreases the migration energy of Li-ion vacancies. These results are consistent with those of the KBr-KI system and earlier predictions. LiBrAl₂O₃ composites exhibit a sharp increase in the conductivity. The highest conductivity obtained was ≈10⁻³ Ω⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 302°C for LiBr + 10 m/o Al₂O₃.     

The synthesis of polycrystalline H3O+β″βAl2O3 ceramics from conventional precursor NaKβ″/βAl2O3 powders

H₃O⁺β″Al₂O₃, H₃O⁺/βAl₂O₃ and H₃O⁺β″/βAl₂O₃ /ZrO₂ ceramics of equiaxed, fine-grained microstructure were prepared by conventional synthesis techniques, gas-phase and vapour-phase ion exchange to the potassium form and field-assisted ion exchange in dilute HCl vapour to the hydronium form. The bend strength of the polycrystalline H₃O⁺β″Al₂O₃ and H₃O⁺β″/βAl₂O₃ was > 200 MPa. The conductivity of H₃O⁺β″Al₂O₃, H₃O⁺β″/βAl₂O₃ ZrO₂ was 8×10⁻⁶, 2×10⁻⁶ and 9×10⁻⁷ (Ω cm)⁻¹, respectively, at 25°C. The materials were demonstrated to perform in steam electrolysis cells at 100°C.     

Electrical properties of LiBSe ternary system

Amorphous products were obtained in the LiBSe ternary system by quenching melts of Li₂Se, B and Se mixture prepared at 100°C in sealed silica tubes. The vitreous region was slightly lower selenium composition than that of the Li₂SeB₂Se₃ tie-line. The amorphous products were lithium ionic conductors and most of them showed contributions to their total conductivity. The amorphous product of composition Li₂₅B₃₆Se₃₉ has the least electronic contribution to its total conductivity of 6.0 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm at room temperature. A new crystalline compound and crystalline LiBH₄ were also obtained in LiBSe ternary. Both of them were lithium ionic conductors having conductivities of about 1 × 10⁻⁶ S/cm at room temperature.     

NMR parameters in column 13 metal fluoride compounds (AlF3, GaF3, InF3 and TlF) from first principle calculations

The relationship between the experimental ¹⁹F isotropic chemical shift and the ¹⁹F isotropic shielding calculated using the gauge including projector augmented-wave (GIPAW) method with PBE functional is investigated in the case of GaF₃, InF₃, TlF and several AlF₃ polymorphs. It is shown that the linear correlation between experimental and DFT-PBE calculated values previously established on alkali, alkaline earth and rare earth of column 3 basic fluorides (Sadoc et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 13 (2011) 18539–18550) remains valid in the case of column 13 metal fluorides, indicating that it allows predicting ¹⁹F solid state NMR spectra of a broad range of crystalline fluorides with a relatively good accuracy. For the isostructural α-AlF₃, GaF₃ and InF₃ phases, PBE-DFT geometry optimization leads to noticeably overbended M–F–M bond angles and underestimated ²⁷Al, ⁷¹Ga and ¹¹⁵In calculated quadrupolar coupling constants. For the studied compounds, whose structures are built of corner shared MF₆ octahedra, it is shown that the electric field gradient (EFG) tensor at the cationic sites is not related to distortions of the octahedral units, in contrast to what previously observed for isolated AlF₆ octahedra in fluoroaluminates.     

Characterization and electrical behavior of new lithium chalcoborate thin films

Thin films obtained with glasses of the B₂S₃Li₂S and B₂S₃Li₂SLiI systems, using a vacuum evaporation technique have been investigated. In each system, amorphous thin films and starting glasses have the same composition and similar conductivities, about 10^?4 and 10^?3Ω^?1cm^?1 respectively at 25°C. The deposition rate was in both cases 140 Å s^?1. However, a thermal treatment at 90°C of the thin films containing lithium iodide enhances the conductivity by a factor of 10 and leads to lower activation energy (0.18 eV). This behavior has been identified as a Phipps effect and can be attributed to a quick ion diffusion along thin film - substrate interface. This interfacial region was found to show unique conduction properties including a very low Li⁺ migration enthalpy.     

Laser-diode excited intense upconversion luminescence of Er^3＋ in bismuth-lead-germanate glasses

We have investigated infrared-to-visible upconversion luminescence of Er^3＋ in bismuth-lead-germanate glasses. The UV cutoff wavelength is shortened while its lifetime is increased almost linearly, with PbF2 substituting for PbO in the bismuth-lead germanate glasses. Three emissions centred at around 529, 545 and 657 nm are clearly observed, which are identified as originating from the ^2H11/2→^4 I15/2,^4S3/2→^4 I15/2 and ^4 F9/2 →^4 I15/2 transitions, respectively. It is noted that all the upconversion emission intensities increase with PbF2 concentration increasing. The ratio between the intensities of red and green emissions increases with the increasing of PbF2 content. Energy transfer processes and nonradiative phonon-assisted decays account for the populations of the ^2 H11/2,^4 S3/2 and ^4F 9/2 levels. The quadratic dependence of fluorescence on excitation laser power confirms a two-photon process to contribute to the upconversion emissions.     

Transport processes in heavy metal fluoride glasses

Na self-diffusion, Li self-diffusion, Na⁺–Li⁺ ion exchange, electrical conductivity, and mechanical relaxation have been studied below T_g on glasses of the system ZrF₄–BaF₂–LaF₃–AF (A=Na, Li), with A=10, 20, 30 mol%. Compared to the transport mechanism in alkali-containing silicate glasses, the mechanisms in these non-oxide glasses are anomalous. Thus the self-diffusion coefficient of Na decreases with increasing NaF content, whereas that of Li increases with increasing LiF content. Both the electrical conductivity and the Na⁺–Li⁺ ion exchange reach a minimum at ≈ 20 mol% LiF, and the mechanical relaxation shows one peak for the 20 and 30 mol% LiF-glasses and two peaks for the glass with 10 mol% LiF, evidencing both a contribution of F⁻ and Li⁺ ions to the transport. Moreover, the presence of the three partially interacting mobile species F⁻, Na⁺, Li⁺ obviously leads to an anionic–cationic mixed ion effect. Applying the Nernst–Einstein equation to the Li⁺ transport in LiF-containing glasses shows that its mechanism is dissimilar to that in oxide glasses. Calculated short jump distances possibly can be interpreted as an Li⁺ movement via energetically suitable sites near F⁻ ions. Likewise the Nernst–Planck model, successfully applied to the ionic transport in mixed alkali silicate glasses, obviously does also not hold for the present heavy metal fluoride glasses.     

Electrical conductivity and phase diagram of the Na2SO4CaSO4 system

Very high vacancy concentrations may be obtained in solid solutions of the high temperature phase of Na₂SO₄. In this paper the Na₂SO₄CaSO₄ system has been studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), impedance spectroscopy and X-ray powder diffraction. The phase diagram, especially the stability range of the solid solution of the high temperature Na₂SO₄ phase, has been redetermined. The electrical conductivity of this solid solution increases rapidly with increasing CaSO₄ content and reaches a maximum for about 5 mol% CaSO₄; the conductivity at e.g. 300°C, 3.5×10⁻³ (μ cm)⁻¹, is almost three orders of magnitude higher than that of pure Na₂SO₄.     

Mixed cationic effect in the Li/AgB2O3P2O5 glasses

Electrical conductivity data have been determined for a series of x Ag₂O(1 − x)Li₂OB₂O₃P₂O₅ glasses. The progressive substitution of Li⁺ by Ag⁺ considerably decreases the ionic conductivity which shows a minimum at Ag/(Ag + Li) = 0.4. This behaviour becomes intense as the temperature is lowered. This mixed cationic effect is further characterised by activation energy and conductivity relaxation time going to a maxima where conductivity minima occurs. ac conductivity and electric modulus response of those glasses are discussed.     

Host dependent thermal stability and frequency upconversion of Er^3＋-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride germanate glasses

The upconversion properties of Er^3＋-doped heavy metal oxyfluoride germanate glasses under 975 nm excitation have been investigated. The intense green （551 and 529 nm） and relatively weak red （657 nm） emissions corresponding to the transitions ^4S3/2→^4I15/2, ^2H11/2→^4 I15/2 and ^4F9/2 →^4I15/2, respectively, were simultaneously observed at room temperature. The content of PbF2 has an important influence on the upconversion luminescence emission. With increasing content of PbF2, the intensities of green （529 nm） and red （657 nm） emissions increase slightly, while the green emission （551 nm） increases markedly. These results suggest that PbF2 has an influence on the green （551 nm） emission more than on the green （529 nm） and red （657 nm） emissions.     

Compression mechanism of GaF3 and FeF3: a high-pressure X-ray diffraction study

The VF₃-type compounds MF₃ with M = Fe and Ga have been studied by high-pressure energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction. The compression mechanism was found to be highly anisotropic for both compounds, with the c-axis showing little pressure dependence. The volume reduction is mainly achieved through coupled rotations of the MF₆ octahedra around the c-axis, which reduces the length of the a-axis. The compression mechanism of both compounds is reasonably well described in terms of deformation of an 8/3/c2 sphere-packing model up to the pressures where the fluorine atoms become hexagonally close-packed. It is proposed that both compounds enter a phase with the fluorine atom arranged in a “super-dense” sphere packing at higher pressures. The zero pressure bulk modulus of FeF₃ and GaF₃ was determined as 12(2) and 37(3) GPa, respectively, and a scaling relation between the zero pressure bulk modulus and unit cell volumes was found for TiF₃, CrF₃, FeF₃ and GaF₃.